BALTIMORE — The family of the man killed inside of a Giant grocery store last week in Northwest Baltimore is demanding justice as they call for murder charges against the security guard who shot him.
The shooting claimed the life of Nicholas Lee, 24, a young father who’s been described as a talented singer and guitarist.
RELATED: One killed, another injured after being shot by armed security guard at a Giant grocery store
Lee’s cousin Patricia Watson also said he devoted his time at local mosque to help lead young black men on the right path.
“He was just a very helpful person,” she said.
Watson said Lee was non-confrontational and the type of person who did not seek trouble.
It’s why their family can’t understand why the armed security guard chose to shoot and kill him after a dispute she says started over a t-shirt.
“He was putting on his shirt. The security guard I guess wanted him to put it on faster and that wasn't enough for him…from all the accounts we are hearing, the security guard followed him to the back of the store and just engaging.”
Baltimore Police said there was a physical altercation that led up to the shooting which ended with the guard shooting Lee and his girlfriend.
She also said it happened in front of his young child.
“The baby’s stroller was literally covered in blood,” Watson said.
Eight days after Lee’s death, the family is still searching for definitive answers on what happened.
So far, Watson said they’ve had to rely on his girlfriend and other people who witnessed the shooting because police have not released additional details surrounding his death.
Watson said she was told the security guard worked for the bank inside the store.
“We don’t have any closure. We don’t have any way to begin to heal because we don’t know exactly what happened.”
She said the deadly shooting could have easily been avoided and believes the guard should be arrested and charged for his role in Lee’s death.
“For it to happen in the back of the store, that means you decided to follow him and continue whatever was going on. [The security guard] could have stopped,” she said.
Watson also said security companies need to make policy changes to ensure their employees receive better training. By doing so, she said this tragedy could have been prevented.
WMAR-2 News has reached out to Baltimore Police for an update on the case but have not heard back.
Meanwhile, Watson said Lee’s funeral will be next week on Wednesday at the United House of Prayer at 11:00 a.m..
The family has also started a fundraiser selling t-shirts to help raise money to give him the proper burial.
If you would like to help, you can click this link here
