SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Loved ones are searching for answers after a 20-year-old La Mesa man was gunned down at a Juneteenth celebration in Liberty Station over the weekend.
“It's like a hole in my heart. He was my best friend,” said Elijah Pullum, Jonathan Pullum’s brother.
From a grieving big brother to an emotional father, the shock has yet to wear off.
“I’m hysterical. The pain comes and goes,” said Terrance Pullum, Jonathan Pullum’s father.
On Saturday afternoon, Jonathan and his brother Elijah attended a Juneteenth celebration at Liberty Station. They both knew people there and had split up to hang out with friends.
Just before 7 p.m., the sound of gunfire sent people scrambling.
RELATED: Eyewitnesses recount how deadly Liberty Station shooting unfolded
“In the moment, didn't realize how many shots,” said Elijah.
After Elijah heard the shots, he automatically started searching for his brother, calling on his cell phone. No answer.
Nearby, among a crowd of people, he found his brother on the ground, shot. Jonathan was rushed to a hospital where he died.
“It was unreal. It was like something out of a nightmare,” said Elijah.
A second man was shot in the leg and will survive.
Terrance says his son was with others who got into a fight. He says as his son walked away, he was shot in his back.
“He was walking away from the situation because that’s what I taught him,” said Terrance.
Loved ones call Jonathan a smart, charismatic, loving man who was enlisting in the Navy, following in Elijah's footsteps, with hopes of getting an engineering degree.
“I feel hurt, I feel robbed. My son is really at the point, where he’s going to blossom. He had a bright future. I was going to get to see a boy turn into a man,” said Terrance.
His son's future was cut short by gunshots.
“It's senseless violence ... I am not supposed to be burying my son,” said Terrance.
Loved ones are now appealing for tips in hopes of tracking down the shooter.
“It’s not for me. It’s justice for my son. He didn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves that,” said Terrance.
The suspect is described by police as a Black man in his mid 20’s wearing dark clothing.
If you have any information for police regarding the shooting, SDPD encourages you to contact the homicide unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help the family with expenses.
