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Suffolk community members and leaders gathered Monday evening to pay tribute to more lives lost and damaged by gun violence.

SUFF.Impact, a faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing community-based violence, held a special prayer vigil to help heal the community following the Thursday, Sept. 12 five-person shooting that occurred on the 800 block of E. Washington St., taking the lives of 37-year-old William Eugene Goodman Jr. and 30-year-old Demonte Lamont Tillery. Two adult males and one adult female are currently at the hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

Along with remarks from dignitaries, including Mayor Michael Duman, Chief of Police James “Danny” Buie and Del. Nadarius Clark, Goodman’s brother and father, SUFF.Impact Chaplin Justin Goodman and William Goodman Sr., both gave remarks during the vigil. Goodman thanked supporters while expressing that it’s a difficult time for their family, noting he was gearing up for a wedding for his other brother and his fiance. 

“Our hearts are shattered, you know, we’re a strong family but we’re not Superman and Superwoman. We have our moments, we’re grieving,” Goodman said. “…So it’s extremely hard for us. I am eulogizing one brother on Thursday and then, I turn around Saturday to be the best man for another. So it’s going to be extremely hard and we just want to say we love you guys.”

Tillery’s cousins, SUFF.Impact President Trivelle Gambrell and Nyya Tillery Flythe also gave remarks. Gambrell reflected on getting the call.

“We were actually in D.C. at the Congressional Black Caucus doing media. So when I got the call, I was like, ‘Are you sure you’re talking about ‘Monte?’ Like, I had tons of cousins, but ‘Monte wasn’t the type of guy…,” Gambrell said. “Whenever I saw him, he always said, ‘Because I love you’ and he wasn’t afraid to express his feelings to anyone, and just to see that he was taken from this earth and leaving his mom, his kids, his unborn kid, just the community as a whole, is very shocking and its disturbing.”

Gambrell continued.

“But I will tell you this – because of what has happened to my cousin, it has only fueled us even more, because it’s more passion now that ‘Ok, we’re going to get these guys and we’re going to help you get whoever it is that you need to get as well,’ but we can’t do it alone,” she said. “…and my plea to you, as SUFF.Impact President, is to not go out and take matters into your own hands. We do not want any more bloodshed at all.”

Following the ceremony, Goodman and Goodman Sr. provided more details. Justin Goodman says that Tillery was “just starting to work” for his brother William – who was the owner of Quality Tires and Good Guys Enterprises – working to fix the dump trucks along with the other three individuals. While Tillery was getting ready to go on the road, the shooting transpired, fatally injuring Goodman and Tillery.  Goodman Sr. says they do not personally know the three victims, who he says were released from the hospital. Goodman Sr. also says he forgives whoever caused the murders, but wants them to pay for what they have done.

“I don’t want any retaliation,” Goodman Sr. said. “But I do want justice for my son.”

On what kind of person William was like away from work, Justin Goodman called him an “interesting” and “loveable” guy.

“He had a very diverse personality, but it was grounded love, it was grounded generosity. It was grounded in just impact. He wanted to be impactful to everybody he came across,” Goodman said. “If you interviewed 500 people, they can all tell you a story of their interactions with William. He was that type of person.”

Goodman Sr. called his lost son a “man with a good heart.”

“He would give you the shirt off his back and I am sure that you have heard it many times, but I can honestly say that was his biggest thing other than being a good father. He loved his kids. He had six, but he loved all of his children,” he said. “And they were first in his life and if you looked at his Facebook page, he always said ‘Family first.’”

Gambrell and Flythe also provided details on their cousin during a press conference. Flythe says that Tillery, who had five children, was a helpful person who was brought up on both love and respect who played football in high school and ran track. On her work with SUFF.Impact and battle against gun violence, Gambrell talked about being affected by the very tragedy she is fighting against.

“It actually knocked me off my feet,” she said. “I know that he’s gone. I know that both of them are gone, but just doing the work and then when it hits you, it’s a different hit. And sometimes if you’re not grounded, it may knock you off your feet. So that’s where we at now,  just trying to pick up the pieces and figure out, how can we help my family but as well as still be an effective resource to the community.”

On the incident empowering her continued fight to prevent gun violence in her community, Gambrell says it’s “up from here.”

“Before, it was a thing of trying to help my community. Now it’s affecting me personally, there’s no turning back,” she emphasized. 

On what Goodman Sr. hopes attendees take away from the night?

“Treat people the way you want to be treated, and that’s what William done and that’s what my family believe in,” he said.

Likewise, Justin Goodman expressed those who know anything about the incident, to share.

“If you know something about what happened, don’t be afraid to share it. You can give anonymous tips, because we want to bring justice to Demonte, the Tillery family, and my brother and our family,” Goodman said. “So if you know something, please, please, any tip will help. Anything will help.”

Funeral services for both William Goodman Jr. and Demonte Tillery will be held at New Mt. Joy Food for Living Ministries on Thursday at 1 p.m. and Monday at 1 p.m. respectively.