COLUMBUS, Ohio — Reginald Moffatt, the stepfather and only living father-figure to 25-year-old victim Dontarious Sylvester said his son was just stopping in Columbus to buy a pair of shoes before taking a trip to Florida.
Moffatt was in Pennsylvania when he got the call about Sylvester being shot and killed at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing on Sunday.
Sylvester was inside the Sole Stop at the Tuttle mall when police said he was shot and killed by 24-year-old Tyrone Gray Jr. Gray was arrested and charged with murder shortly after the shooting.
"Every emotion you can possibly think of goes through your body. You get angry as a father, I swore I would always be there to protect my kids, and somehow you feel like you failed a little bit to protect your child," Moffatt said.
Moffatt describes Sylvester as a loving brother with a rockstar personality.
The stepfather added Sylvester tragically lost both of his parents and had just recovered from a nine-year battle with KLS syndrome, also known as sleeping beauty syndrome. The disorder would cause him to sleep up to 22 hours a day.
Moffatt said he's devastated to lose his son to another senseless shooting in Columbus and that the family is seeking justice and wants everyone to put the guns down.
"He already lost his mom, he already lost his dad and now he's about to become a dad, and to have all of that stripped away from you. That's why I say, it's like indescribable pain," Moffatt said.
Moffatt tells 10TV that Gray and Sylvester may have known each other, but police are still investigating.