CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Tiquan Smith told his family on the night of Sunday, November 20, he was driving to the nearby sports bar to watch a game. His mother said that's the night she got a call from her mother, saying, "Something happened to Ty."
"I was driving down George Washington Highway when I saw the police lights and that's where they found Ty," said his mother, Sharon Barnes.
Chesapeake police officers say they received a report of a car on the side of South Military Highway. Detectives say they found the 30-year-old shot to death inside.
Barnes, her husband, mother, and her other son now sit with very few answers to hold onto while they grieve their loss.
Barnes said Smith leaves behind two young daughters. She said he was just getting ready to celebrate his daughter's birthday the week of his death and celebrate his in December. Instead, his family is planning a funeral service to honor his life.
"Making it through the day in the morning is like our new reality that our son is not with us... that's our new reality," said Barnes. "He was the centerpiece of us. He made all of them come together and being the centerpiece... we will never ever have a centerpiece like that again."
"I'm kind of devastated by the fact that he will not wake up in the mornings when I'm there," said his grandmother, Sandra Wilson. "I will always admire him for being a great father.
Now, Smith's family members say they want to know who fired the gun and want that person to be held responsible.
"We need to know who did this. We need to be brought to justice," said Barnes' husband, Kenneth. "We don't want this crime, this murder, to fall to the wayside like so many get swept under the rug and 20 years later, we're still waiting to solve this."
Though more answers won't bring Smith back to his family, Barnes said it will help them feel a form of relief, saying, "Because we'll never have closure. But just... if you've seen anything, heard anything, just please reach out to the police. Please... please, because he didn't deserve this. So, please help us out."
This is the vehicle Smith was driving the night of the shooting on South Military Highway in Deep Creek on the night of November 20. His family is hoping someone will recognize this car and may know more information to help lead police in the right direction.
If you know anything that can help the police, call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or submit an anonymous online tip by clicking here.
Meanwhile, Smith's family is planning a memorial service and funeral.
The public viewing will be held at the Metropolitan Funeral Berkley Chapel on Thursday, December 1, at 2 p.m. His funeral will be held there on Friday, December 2, starting at 10:30 a.m.
Other family members set up a GoFundMe to support Smith and his loved ones during the difficult time.