Sixty children witnessed Allen Calloway being gunned in broad daylight - including his 10-year old son - as he was playing dodge ball in a San Francisco park . And now, his family and community members are mourning the loss of a former gang member who they say had been turning his life around.
Calloway, 32, was playing with the group of kids at about 2 p.m. Friday at Herz Playground in the Visitacion Valley area when a man walked up and shot him multiple times.
"As Allen gets the ball they just started shooting," Natae Armstrong, Calloway's niece, told NBC Bay Area. "All the kids ran to the corner and were crying and screaming."
Calloway was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Witnesses and community members expressed shock and outrage over the brazen daylight shooting.
Calloway was named in San Francisco's 2010 gang injunctions as a marijuana dealer, but had left the gang life behind him. Relatives said he was trying to turn his life around after spending time behind bars.
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"When he got out of jail he said he wanted to make it right," said Latae Armstrong, his niece.
Calloway was working for Together United Recommitted Forever as a part-time outreach worker, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He usually showed up for his shift early in order to play with the kids.
A memorial of balloons, candles and empty liquor bottles mark the area where Calloway was gunned down. Police have beefed up patrols in the area and said officers will continue to keep up their presence at Herz Park as the investigation continues.