LOUISVILLE, Ky (WDRB) -- In the middle of the night at the 550 apartments near Chestnut and 9th, a family argument turns deadly. "Black male inside one of the apartments who had apparently been shot," says Dwight Mitchell with LMPD.
Rick Wydman Jr. just turned 19 on Thanksgiving Day. His uncle Ray Barker arrived at the scene moments after the murder with a stunning message from the victim's parents. "The family wants the community to know that the young man that shot him is already forgiven by this family." Barker is a former Metro Police officer also known for his outreach with children as "Sir Friendly C."
The shooter was someone Wydman knew well. Police say he was the father of a little girl and Wydman was dating her mother. The argument Tuesday morning escalated quickly with both men drawing guns.
Friends say Wydman and the father of the 1-year-old often argued, mainly about the little baby."
"He wanted to see his daughter but I look at it, he don't get the right to see his daughter because he hasn't done nothing for my niece since she was born," says Miqueal Wells. His sister was the one dating Wydman. "My niece looked at my sister's boyfriend Rick as her father. My niece called him daddy and all that."
Wells was still trying to find his sister when we caught up with him Tuesday afternoon, still stunned by Wydman's death. "Man, I lost my little brother," said an emotional Wells. "That's how I looked at him." Wydman leaves behind a newborn he fathered with another woman. His family says he was excited about being a dad.
Police say the shooter took himself to hospital with a gunshot wound in his shoulder. Wydman's family hopes his death doesn't trigger more violence. "The family's main concern is that they don't want any other families hurt in retaliation of this death here."
Once the accused gunman is released from the hospital, police plan to release his name and charge him with murder.
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Rick Wydman, shooting victim
