Dozens of blue and white balloons will ascend into the Atlanta sky Wednesday evening in honor of 27-year-old Lanel Singleton.
The off-duty security guard was fatally shot Sunday morning outside an event venue in the Riverside neighborhood.
“We want to give Lanel the celebration of life he deserves, to honor his memories and say our last goodbyes,” stated a GoFundMe page organized by his girlfriend Kaila Hull.
Atlanta police received a call at 5:45 a.m. about a person shot outside the Ten50 Social Club on Main Street, where officers found Singleton suffering from gunshot wounds. He died at the scene, police said.
Authorities said the shooting stemmed from an argument inside the northwest Atlanta event venue filled with dozens of people. The suspect shot Singleton outside before driving off in a green Nissan Murano. No arrests have been announced.
Wednesday’s vigil and balloon release at 6 p.m. will take place about 13 miles away.
Friends and family will share memories, hug and cry together at The Loft on Metropolitan Parkway, where Singleton worked as a security guard.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
He would have been a father around the start of the new year.
According to Channel 2 Action News, Hull is 10 weeks pregnant with the couple’s first child. She learned of Singleton’s death from a security guard who performed CPR on him Sunday — and couldn’t believe it.
“I’ve just been trying to keep myself together for the baby. It’s my first, and it’s his first as well,” Hull told the news station. “This is all new. And my baby is never going to meet Lanel, his father.”
Donations to the fundraiser will help cover funeral expenses and support Hull and the baby.
“The family appreciates all of the love and support they have received during this difficult time,” the page stated.