DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – The Decatur community is in mourning after a father of seven was gunned down in a Decatur driveway.
“He was there for everybody,” Aahrown Wilder Bay said. “He was a motivator of everybody.”
Devin Slater, 36, was more than a father to those who knew him, and those who didn’t. His friend, Wilder Bay, told WAND News he was the life of the party. He was a father of seven and friends with everyone he met.
“He has friends everywhere,” Wilder Bay said. "Wonderful father. A very good friend of everybody."
Wilder Bay said Slater’s mother gave up on him as a young boy, giving him up for adoption. He had a few stints in jail, but those who knew him said he turned his life around. Slater most recently was a supervisor at ADM.
“He watched all his friend die or go to prison and he didn't want to do that and I mean it when I saw that he encouraged people to get a good education and change your life,” Bay said.
Slater was gunned down Sunday in the middle of the afternoon. He was known for giving back to the community. He was a staple at Southside Sunday’s, a community gathering to socialize.
"It is kind of unbelievable," Marrisha Blythe, a friend of Slater, said.
The suspect in the shooting, Byrant Bunch, 44, turned himself into authorities a day after the shooting. He is charged with murder and is being held on a $1 million bond.
Police have not provided a motive, but have told WAND News the shooting was not random and was not gang-related.
The corner's office said Slater was shot in the head, arm and the torso. An inquest is pending.
