EAST POINT, Ga. — East Point Police are still looking for the person who killed a beloved East Point barber.
Righteous Torrence Hill, 35, of East Point, was shot outside of his home on Connally Drive on the evening of Feb. 28, according to police. He was pronounced dead the next day, ten days after his birthday, the family said.
A spokesperson for East Point Police said there is an active warrant for an arrest, but the suspect hasn't been caught.
Hill's mom, Verna Wilcox, said she couldn't understand why anyone would want to hurt him. She calls him T.K. Loved ones also affectionately called him R.T., Torrence, and "Chevy."
"Where was the love that T.K. showed you? All the compassion, all the forgiveness," Verna said, speaking to her son's killer.
She described T.K. as selfless, loving and caring.
His partner of six years, Terri Wilson, said Hill, who identified as a transgender man, would give back to the LGBTQ+ community through his barber shop, Evollusion. He also had plans to expand his Macon business, High Frequency.
"He just wanted it to be a safe haven for the community," Wilson said.
Wilson was there when Hill's mission came to a hard stop. She said Hill was arguing with a relative he was taking in.
"One of the last things I heard Torrence say was, 'Just leave.' And I could hear the front door open," Wilson continued, "When I heard the door open, I also heard Torrence say, 'So, you're just going to shoot me?' And that's when I heard the gunshots."
Police said Hill was shot several times. Holding the gun, Wilson said, was Hill's cousin.
"That's when I came downstairs," Wilson said. "He was inside. The door was closed. His cousin was nowhere to be found. He was on the floor. And he had started to bleed out profusely."
The family wants to make it clear that, yes, there was hate behind Hill's death, but not a hate crime. They want the relative to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The National Black Justice Coalition is demanding answers and fighting for transgender rights on Hill's behalf. Data from the National Center for Transgender Equality shows that more than half of deaths in the trans community are by guns.
Research from Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund shows that intimate partner and family violence affects trans people in 19% of cases, with 68% of the deaths being by guns. And about one-third of transgender homicides remain unsolved.
Overall, Hill's story has gotten thousands of shares on social media.
Verna's husband, Zelb Wilcox, has this message for Hill's killer.
"They will find you," Zelb said. "You will be found. And you will pay for this. No question about it. So, you can think that this is some type of fun game or whatever you're playing, but it's not. Once they close in on you and the bars hit behind you, then you know the reality of it. You made your bed. Now, lay in it."
Hill's funeral service was on March 11.