WESTWEGO, La. — Corey Warmington was a devoted father who channeled his time and energy into his children. His older sister Tanyijah James told WWL Louisiana her message to her brother is, "I just want to tell him I love him and that I am going to take care of his kids, every last one of them."
The 32-year-old was an avid fisherman, a hobby he was educating his own children on. Mother to two of his children Ronisha Johnson said, "He's only been working, fishing, and being about those kids, doing what he could do for those kids. He did his best for what he could do for those kids."
She went on to say, "I was telling my baby this morning you have to be strong for your sister, you have to be strong for your sister because your daddy would want you to be strong, I am telling this to an 8-year-old."
According to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, at approximately 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, a stray bullet flew through Warmington's apartment in unincorporated Westwego and struck him. Sheriff Joe Lopinto said at a press conference, "Just a tragic situation to lose somebody so close to the new year and in such a tragic way."
Sheriff Lopinto says it started with a reported car theft, saying, "We had a stolen vehicle earlier in the day, the owner ended up finding the vehicle in the 900 block of Beachgrove, contacted police they came and processed the vehicle."
He says the car owner was waiting by their car while a new key was being made. Sheriff Lopinto says the thieves then came back and started shooting at the car owner.
"In all likelihood, they were coming back to take the car and go someplace else," he said.
Sheriff Lopinto says Warmington was innocent, and not involved.
James said her heart is broken, saying, "To see and hear a stray bullet hit him in the comfort of his own home as he was winding down, it's really tearing our family apart."
Now his grieving family stands right outside where he once lived, asking how this could happen to a man they loved so dear. James said, "The detachment is just so hard, forced detachment is crazy. I love you 'Co', we are going to stick together, and we are going to make your name live on for the rest of our days, see you in heaven bro. We going to celebrate till we see you in heaven."
His family left holding each other, Johnson said she promised to keep his memory alive, saying, "Now all I could tell them was that it was an accident, we know that your daddy loved you, we know your daddy wanted to be there for you, we know, we know, we know that, but they don't know that. They know their daddy was here and now he's gone."
JPSO said the suspects are still at large and wanted. They're asking anyone who may have seen something or who may know something to come forward.