‘He was love’: Friends, family hold vigil to honor security guard killed in shooting
Friends and family of Dominique Coleman gathered at Village Creek Park in east Fort Worth on Tuesday evening to release dozens of blue and white balloons into the sky to say farewell to their loved one who was “just so full of love.”
Coleman was shot and killed early Sunday morning while working as a club security guard at Club New Start on Miller Avenue. Coleman was 38.
“If you were around him, ain’t nothing was going to go down,” said Kyiyetta Jones, Coleman’s wife, who had two children with him. “I try to know that he’s in heaven, and he went there, I know it. I feel it. He’s watching over us and making sure we get through this. He wouldn’t want you to be sad; he would pray that everyone was happy.”
Dozens of friends, family and members of the DFW Ryderz Car Club, which Coleman was a member of, were in attendance Tuesday evening to release balloons into the sky. The Car Club’s minister, Felton Jenkins, started off the event by calling for an end to violence in Fort Worth, saying there has never been a better time for everyone to come together and spread love than right now.
“I don’t wanna show up in another two weeks and be doing another one of these for somebody else,” Jenkins said. “We had love when we first started these car clubs when we rode together. Put away our differences, put away our hate. Put away what somebody said about somebody else. Let’s just build the city back up.”
Coleman was shot early in the morning Sunday after an altercation with a father and two sons who were customers at the nightclub, according to the account of a woman that was described by a detective in a murder arrest warrant affidavit. The woman said she did not know the perpetrators.
The 21-year-old gunman shot Coleman in the back of the head, and kept firing after Coleman fell to the ground, according to police. Coleman was pronounced dead in a parking lot across the street from the club.
The woman who was a witness also had a handgun fired at her, with rounds entering her shoulder and the handbag that she was holding, according to the affidavit. A projectile hit a handgun that was inside her purse.
The woman, whose name the police redacted from the affidavit, was also pistol-whipped by the shooter, who hit her in the head several times with the butt of the gun, according to the affidavit. She identified the suspects as being in an argument with Coleman in the parking lot of H & J Hamburgers, a restaurant across the street from Club New Start.
When police showed her photos, the witness identified Dadrian Freeman, 21, as the shooter, according to the affidavit. Homicide detectives arrested Freeman on Sunday night.
“To know Dominique was to know that you were loved,” Jones said. “It was to know that you were protected. He did not deserve this at all. He was sweet; he was kind. He was Dominique. He was love. He made you smile; he made you feel good about yourself. I was glad to have him as long as I did and I hate that I don’t now.”
After about a half dozen of Coleman’s relatives spoke to the crowd of attendees, blue and white balloons were passed out and released after the count of 10 into the sky to honor Coleman.
“He watched me grow up, was always there, and he was there for me when my dad died,” said Wilson Tate, the younger cousin of Coleman. “I just don’t even know what to say. He was just a person that you always wanted to be around no matter what happened. I just know that he’s up there with his uncle, and his little brother, just watching over them and protecting them. And now he’s up there watching over us while we’re down here.”
Friends and family members held a protest Sunday evening to demand the closure of Club New Start, saying there has been a long history of violence at the venue. Police reports show Coleman was previously the victim of a separate assault at the nightclub, which left him with several injuries. Management of the club could not be reached for comment.
“We are demanding accountability and transparency,” protest organizers said on social media, who were concerned that surveillance footage had not been released following the shooting. The group is calling on the city to investigate the club and its impact on public safety in east Fort Worth.
“I believe this community needs to come together,” Jenkins said. “We need to pull this thing together. If I ever did anything against somebody, please forgive me. And I will forgive anyone for doing the same. We need to start forgiving one another. Because if we don’t take care of our home, who is going to take care of us? Nobody.”
