(WXYZ) — The community of Berkley is mourning the loss of Tyler Wingate, 24, a young man who was thrilled to be a part of Detroit's rebirth, according to his mother.
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Wingate was beaten to death after a minor traffic accident in Detroit near Livernois and West Davison early Monday morning.
"He once told me if one of us would pass don't mourn my death but celebrate my life," his younger brother Jason told reporters outside Berkley High School on Wednesday.
Brother: ‘Deep down inside we are all truly broken’ Tyler Wingate’s younger siblings say they all were very close. pic.twitter.com/aVPjYGTIg5
— Rudy Harper (@RudyHarperWXYZ) July 25, 2019
The family is having a hard time living by those words.
"All of us are not taking it very well," Jason said. "He is a spectacular young man who did not deserve it. Deep down inside we are all truly broken... truly heartbroken from it."
Surveillance video shows Wingate brutally beaten to death. Police say the suspect killer, Lawrence James Davis, remains on the loose.
Wingate's grief-stricken mother said he recently purchased a home in Detroit's Boston Edison neighborhood.
"He believed in the city of Detroit," Sharlee Wingate, Tyler's mother said. "He was rehabbing and flipping it."
The anguished family said Tyler was "fun, outgoing and happy." Meantime, the family's plea is Davis will turn himself into authorities.
Tyler's younger brother had this message: "Lawrence James Davis I am speaking directly to you. We know you're out there and we know you are watching and I want you to see the damage you done not only to our family but the community itself."
Tyler will be laid to rest on Friday.
