MILWAUKEE — Elzora Collins has been filled with grief and questions after her brother, Bruce Carter, was beaten to death.
Carter, 73, the eldest of four siblings and an uncle to many.
Collins told TMJ4 that she last saw Carter Sunday night.
"We hugged each other and said I love you," Collins recalled. "His spirit was so soft. And everyone he met just fell in love with Bruce."
Soon after, Elzora got a call from Milwaukee Police.
Her 73-year-old brother, who loved to dance and make people laugh, was beaten to death near a garden on North 13th Street and Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee.
"When I looked at the picture, he was almost unrecognizable. The only thought that was in my mind was, 'Did he experience a lot of pain as this was going on?'" Collins explained tearfully.
A 28-year-old was taken into custody. Charges were referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.
"I want to know why. I want to know if it was a robbery. I want to know if it was a fight," Collins stated.
Watch: Family overwhelmed with grief and filled with questions after 73-year-old man beaten to death
Collins said she received several calls from people across the country offering their condolences and memories of Carter.
She says her brother was well known for drying off cars at a car wash on Capitol Drive.
"He was so well known that when people would come there, they would request him," Collins said. "It helps to know that he wasn't just loved by his family, to know people in the community cared about him."
Collins suspects the person who killed her brother did not know him. She believes the senseless violence that took his life is the result of unresolved trauma in the community.
"It needs to be addressed. They need to do something about it," Collins said.
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