Vigil held for man killed in Fort Lauderdale Airbnb shooting
HOLLYWOOD - The family of 30-year-old Ivan DeJesus gathered in Hollywood on Sunday evening to celebrate his life with a candlelight vigil, just days after he was killed.
"I know I got to be strong, I know I got to cope, but he was my baby," said Diana Marte, DeJesus' mother.
"It's just been unreal that he's not here," said David Marte, DeJesus' brother.
Ivan was shot at an Airbnb in the 4700 block of NE 18th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale early Thursday morning. Ivan went to the hospital immediately after he was shot but died from his injuries.
Those who knew DeJesus the best say he was a hardworking, funny, and helpful man who had magnetic charisma.
"The moment you see Ivan, you're drawn to him," said David Marte.
"He was kind, he would help people, you know, he was always lending a hand. He didn't care who you were, as long as you were nice to him, he would give you the shirt off his back," said Mercedes Martinez, Ivan's sister-in-law.
DeJesus was a mechanic who loved working on cars, being with his family and friends, but more than anyone or anything, he loved his son the most.
"His son was his world, and that's where it hurts more because he just became a father," said David Marte.
"He left a two-year-old behind, and if you're that heartless to leave a two-year-old without his father, you know, say something if you saw something," said Martinez.
The family is pleading for DeJesus's killer to come forward as they navigate life without him with broken hearts.
"I wish he'd just come home. We just want him to walk through the doors, that's it, you know, we just want him to walk through the doors again," said David Marte.
Police have not released any information about a suspect and so far, no arrests have been made.