KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The family of Marcus Tillman, a man who was shot and killed at a concert at Spring Valley Park, says he was more than a victim of gun violence.
Tillman was a son, a brother and a father of two kids. They say he didn’t deserve what happened to him.
“On a motorcycle at that time, I almost lost my life doing over 100 to the scene of the crime,” said Marcus Tillman Sr., who told FOX 17 that he couldn’t believe his son is gone.
“Worst thing can go through any parent's mind…'I lost my child.'”
According to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, officers had a difficult time responding due to people running away from the venue. When they arrived, they tried to save Tillman’s life, but were unable to.
His family says that before he was killed, all he wanted to do was be a good dad.
“He told me he was trying to buy him a house he was like, 'I’m gonna buy me a three-bedroom house for me, my daughter, and my son,'” said his cousin Shameca Morrow.
According to his family, Tillman had a criminal history, but when he got out of jail a few years ago, he turned his life around. They say he never bothered anyone, and was all about work and providing for his loved ones.
“He was a wonderful dad,” said his daughter, Kamyia Tillman. “He was like the best provider. He was everything.”
Tillman’s death marks the seventh homicide in Kalamazoo this year. His family can’t stress enough that gun violence needs to stop. They’re asking anyone with information on the shooting to come forward.
