A Lee County family spoke exclusively with NBC2 Tuesday about the murder of 22-year-old Damian Rodriguez.
Rodriguez was shot and killed on June 27 at Three Oaks Park . During an attempt to get away, Rodriguez and his car ended up in the median.
Rodriguez's family said he was a native of the area and went to Island Coast High School. He wanted to try every job he could in his younger years to find his passions. His fiancée said Damian's goal was to be his own boss.
Corinthia Decker met Rodriguez in eighth grade. The couple has been together ever since, and they got engaged two weeks ago.
"So many people would tell us to, like, Oh my gosh, you guys have the love story like a movie, you know? Yeah. And we thought it was so corny, like, OK, yeah, whatever, you know. But now it's like it's true. Like we did. We had a love story. We had one just like the movies we did, and we're great," Decker said. "It doesn't feel real. It doesn't at all. It feels like he's on a trip. He's on a work trip. He'll be back in a couple of months."
The couple was planning a big wedding. Rodriguez's mom said, at first, he wanted to elope. However, she said, after he attended a friend's wedding and witnessed the mother-son dance, Rodriguez wanted that.
"He said, I'm going to do a big wedding. That's all he wanted," Jessica Mena said.
Mena said Rodriguez is her second born of four kids.
"He was my sunshine," she said.
She said her son's top priority was his family, his fiancée and his 10-month-old son.
"That little boy, that was his pride and joy. He always wanted a son. Yeah, he always said that every time he would walk in the door after work, that boy smiled. He could make him laugh over anything. Anything. He could put him to sleep quicker than anybody else," Decker said with a laugh. "I used to get so mad, but now I'm happy. I'm happy they had that bond. I'm happy they were able to be able to be there for each other. I think he needed him a lot."
Decker said her baby boy is like Rodriguez's twin. Just recently, he started saying "dada."
"He says that, he whispers it. He looks for him. He would fall asleep next to him every night. He loved his dad and he loves his dad. And he's going to he's going to know his dad as who he was," she said.
Mena said there are a few things about the situation at hand that give her peace. She said Damian would talk about death on a regular basis. She said, at the time, she would get so mad at him about it. However, she said she knew he wasn't afraid to die. She recalled him saying, 'If it's my time to go, it's my time to go.'
"I have no doubt in my heart. I know he's with God, no doubt. And now he's in heaven," Mena said. "They had lost a baby. And I always say that brings me a little comfort, is to know everything that he is up in heaven with his other baby happy and she's down here on earth with the other one."
A memorial is growing in the median in front of Three Oaks Park. Flowers, balloons and personal notes are left as a tribute to the young man. His family expects the funeral to be overflowing with people, given the amount of love they've received after Rodriguez's death.
One way they plan to honor his life is by wearing red shirts, Rodriguez's favorite color, with the quote, "Give free love."
