BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (WLS) -- Sian Carter's girlfriend said he was standing in the driveway of a Bolingbrook home when gunfire rang out.
Carter tried to run away, but was later found shot in the backyard. His life was cut short just weeks after becoming a father.
Fatherhood was something Carter was looking forward to. But, less than two months into welcoming his first and only son, his life was ripped away from those who loved him most.
"I just gave birth to our son on April 1," said Khia Williams, Carter's girlfriend. "And, police were in the backyard. And, you can tell something was going on back there, but they wouldn't let me back there. And, that's when I saw his shoe in the driveway, and it had blood on it."
Williams said she and Carter had went to an invite-only graduation party on Saturday night on Rebecca Lane in Bolingbrook. But, they couldn't get in, along with many other people who remained outside.
"When Sian saw everybody, he stopped and he talked to a few people," Williams said.
And, while he was standing in a driveway, talking with friends, that's when she said she heard the shots.
"It was like 11 or 12 shots, and then I saw everybody run," Williams said.
Williams then hid behind a home.
"And when I came out, I started walking toward everything. It was like everybody but him was coming out. Everybody but him was coming out of hiding," Williams said.
Police later found the 20-year-old shot in a nearby backyard.
"You can't even imagine how people feel. Now I'm in these shoes," said Sonja Carter, the victim's mother.
Sonja rushed to the scene from her home a minute away before having to face the heartbreaking reality that her only son was gone.
"Heartbroken is not even the word. I don't even know how to describe this feeling. It is the worst feeling ever," Sonja said.
Carter's death came nearly a year after the murder of his cousin, Cliff Manning, who was one of nine people shot and killed during a violent Memorial Day weekend in Chicago last year.
Now, as the family heals from one loss, they're now forced to do the same for another, whose legacy they hope will thrive in the son he left behind.
"He's still carrying on through his son, and I can't be nothing but thankful for that," Sonja said.
ABC7 reached out to Bolingbrook police to get an update on this case, and to see if they are looking for any suspects. They say they aren't providing any more information on this investigation, but say they are following up on leads.
