ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — A Dougherty County man killed in an early morning shooting in Albany is being remembered by his family, who are urging the community to come forward with information.

The Albany Police Department is still working to piece together what happened early Tuesday morning on Van Deman Street. APD said officers were first called to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital after an individual arrived with non-life-threatening injuries. That person told police they were at a gathering when gunfire erupted.

Investigators later found dozens of shell casings along the street. When officers arrived on Van Deman Street, they discovered 39-year-old Andrew Phillips dead.

“He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve this at all. No mother should have to bury their child,” said Buerena Huntley, Phillips’ mother.

Family remembers Phillips

“Outgoing, outspoken, amazing. He always made you laugh and made you mad a lot. But still, at the same time, he was a great person,” said Michelle Bryant, Phillips’ sister.

“He welcomed everyone. No one was an enemy to him. He was a... Even if he was, he was gonna make you a friend before his own way. He was gonna make you laugh and smile before you get away from him,” Huntley said.

Family searches for answers

Phillips’ family believes he was attending the gathering when the shooting broke out and was not the intended target. Police have not confirmed whether he was targeted or what sparked the gunfire, leaving his family searching for answers.

“If he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s what we have heard. We haven’t heard anything as far as, like, him having any problem with anyone or someone having a problem with him. So, as my wife stated, we just want to know,” said Wayne Huntley, Phillips’ step-father.

Still, they believe someone out there knows something.

“I just want justice. I just want justice for my son. Let me bury my son. Just, just knowing, just knowing what happened to him. Somebody just, please come forward. Somebody just, please come forward,” Buerena Huntley said.

What the family is asking for

For Phillips’ family, closure is only part of what they are seeking. They said they want no acts of retaliation and pray the violence ends there.

The family has set up a GoFundMe.

Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact the Albany Police Department at 229-431-2100, Crime Stoppers at 229-436-TIPS, or submit a tip through the APD app. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

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