Family remembers shooting victim found near Lexington apartment complex

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Mikel Willis, 19, was found dead near a dumpster, close to the Shropshire apartments. The coroner confirms he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

It’s something a family never wants to hear.

A son, brother and cousin gone after his family says he got a phone call before going to meet someone at the Shropshire apartments.

That’s when they say something had to have gone wrong.

Someone family describes as a good person, was taken too soon.

“Nobody deserves death,” said Summer Willis, Mikel’s sister. “No one deserves to get their life taken away.”

Now, they’re left with memories.

“I don’t think we’ll ever stop remembering stuff,” said Summer. “Like, it’s going to be years from now and new memories will pop up in our head.”

What the family needs now are answers.

They say investigators have Mikel’s phone and are working to find out exactly who he went to meet and why.

For now, they’re celebrating the life he lived.

“He would not want to see us down, he wouldn’t,” said Summer. “He would want to see us up.”

The family says they will be having a “going home celebration” for Mikel, saying they know he’s now with God.

“There’s no better place to be,” said the family. “He is at peace, he is, and he is just watching over us.”