ST. LOUIS — Halloween will always be difficult time for one local family.
Two daughters are mourning the death of their father, who was shot and killed Halloween night in a popular area downtown.
Thirty-eight-year-old Mark Schlemmer, of Collinsville, Illinois, was close with his two girls.
"He loved his girls," said his friend Jim Ford, who's known Mark for 25 years. "This violence is just completely senseless. It's ridiculous."
Schlemmer was shot and killed in the early hours of Nov. 1 on 15th Street near Washington Avenue.
A witness told 5 On Your Side a white car pulled up next to the car Mark was sitting in and fired two shots. Then the shooter reversed their car down 15th Street and crashed into two parked cars. Mark just left a club.
"I figured the only thing I can do at this point is to raise money for them," Ford said.
That's when he created a GoFundMe page.
Lindsay Eversmeyer has also known Mark for almost two decades through the soccer community. She's even a coach to his oldest daughter.
"His daughter just turned 18 last weekend and since she's next of kin, she's responsible for making all those tough decisions that an 18-year-old shouldn't be making in this point of their life," Eversmeyer said.
For now, friends and family are wrapping their arms around his daughters.
But this organ donor will continue his passion of helping others even in death and leave a lasting impression on the girls.
"The fact that he's willing to take care of other people, even though he isn't around, I think that's great and it was a great example for his daughters that he was a giving person and he cared for others as well," Eversmeyer said.
The St. Louis police department’s homicide division has taken over the investigation.
In the latest update from police, the suspect description is listed as 'unknown.'
Anyone with information is urged to call the Homicide Division directly at 314-444-5371, or anyone with a tip who wants to remain anonymous and is interested in a reward can contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).
If you'd like to contribute to his daughters, here's a link to their GoFundMe page. His daughters said they are so thankful for all the community support during this time.
