RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — Family members said they're left with few answers after a former high school football star, loyal friend and beloved son was gunned down at a Rancho Cordova party.
“My nephew will not be another statistic; we will get justice. He will not... just be another kid that got shot at a party. He was our whole world. He was the heart of our family," said Jolene Pimentel.
Pimentel identified the slain 20-year-old from Ione as her nephew, Corey Self-Shearer. He was shot along the 3000 block of Ramsgate Way in Rancho Cordova Friday night before dying at a hospital.
“That was their (his parent's) oldest child, their only son. He has three amazing sisters that have lost their best friend,” Pimentel said.
She said Shearer was known for his loyalty, athleticism and and for being a good friend.
"He walked in the room and that smile just lit up the entire room. He was the life of the party. He loved entertaining his friends, and... he had every single amazing quality that you would want in your child,” Pimentel said.
One of those amazing qualities was his passion for football, something he shared with his father. Pimentel said her nephew had been playing the game since he was seven and also played as a student at Argonaut and Amador high schools.
"Every Sunday, they (Shearer and his dad) would watch the (Los Angeles) Rams, that was their team, and they rock out with their sweaters and their hats and just watch football together. That's what they've always done - that was their passion,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel doesn't know much about the circumstances surrounding her nephew's death. After the shooting happened, she and other family members drove to multiple hospitals just trying to get an update on his condition.
"My sister was pleading, my brother in law was describing his tattoos that he had. We just wanted information and nobody could give us that... And about 4 a.m., the woman comes out and says she wants to talk to us and brings us inside and had let us know that he had passed," Pimentel said.
The Rancho Cordova Police Department Shearer's girlfriend called and advised dispatchers about the shooting.
"She had to witness that. She came to the hospital as we were leaving. She had blood... all my nephew's blood all over her. She stayed with him," Pimentel said.
As the investigation into the deadly shooting continues, the police department has not yet released any suspect information. Nonetheless, Pimentel has a message for whoever might be responsible.
“We will find you, and we will get justice for him. He was 20 years old... It was cold-blooded murder," Pimentel said.
A fundraiser for the family is available HERE.
WATCH ALSO:
