CHARLOTTE, N.C. — He was gunned down on his way home in 2007 by someone with an assault rifle, and police believe there were witnesses.
Yet all these years later, there's never been an arrest in the case.
Eugene Blackmon was killed in his own neighborhood. In fact, police believe the killer waited for him, and his family tells me they haven't had a day of peace since this happened more than a decade ago.
"I got a call 1:30 in the morning. My son's fiancé called and told me my son had been shot," said Claudette Blackmon.
It's been 12 years and she still remembers every detail of the night her son was shot and killed.
"Somebody in my neighborhood shot and killed my son, and everybody in Springfield know who did it," she said.
Police say Blackmon had been at a friend's house not far from his own. He took a shortcut through the neighborhood to get home.
"He was approximately halfway home when someone fired upon him with a high powered rifle," an investigator said.
Police believe it was an AK-47.
"And that particular weapon is generally owned by someone who intends to instill fear in other people. It's a serious weapon," said the investigator.
Blackmon was shot twice in the chest and died just feet from his apartment.
"I think he was targeted. I don't know why. I don't know the motive," the investigator said.
"I know for a fact that someone saw my son being murdered," Blackmon's mom said.
"You think it's possible someone actually witnessed the shooting?" NBC Charlottes asked.
"I do," said the investigator.
The man left behind four kids, including one that never knew him.
"His fiancé was seven and a half months pregnant when he was murdered," said Blackmon's mom.
That's the part she struggles the most with -- the kids.
"I have three grandkids, well four, that were left without a father, and seeing them grow up without a father, it's very hurtful," she said.
She is desperate for answers.
"I need some closure. I need closure now. It's been too long, and I don't know how much more of this I can take," she said.
"There are people that instill fear in everybody, and everybody's terrified to talk. Sometimes, neighbors have to take a stand," the investigator said.
Police have been actively working this case for a long time. If you have any information call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. You could get a reward.