‘You made a mark on this earth’: Family remembers Carolina Forest murder victim
Nettie Baker-Lewis said she wanted her son to know he made a difference. They’re words she’ll never get to tell him face-to-face.
“I’m proud of you,” she said, “you made a mark on this Earth.”
Eliajah Samuel was gunned down at a Carolina Forest apartment earlier this week, leaving his family heartbroken and removing the chance to tell him how they felt. They said Samuel was always grinning, always helping and a great father.
“He always had a smile on his face,” Baker-Lewis said.
Horry County police responded to the Canterbury Apartments around 4:45 a.m. Sunday for a reported shooting. They found Samuel shot in an apartment and he was taken to the hospital, where he died a short time later.
Officers have released few details about what led to the shooting and have not made an arrest in the case. They did release surveillance video of a suspect running through a parking lot after the shooting and asked for the public’s help identifying the person. Anyone with information is asked to call 843-248-1520.
Samuel’s family said he lived in the Conway area and did not reside at the apartment complex. Baker-Lewis said she was shocked to find out her son was shot and by the time she figured out where he was taken, he had died. Samuel’s girlfriend of the past year, Candice Palmer, said she learned about his death when Baker-Lewis called to tell her.
“I felt like my heart was ripped out,” she said.
It is difficult to know the killer is still free and Palmer said anyone she looks at could be the person who shot her boyfriend.
Palmer said Samuel was the type of person to care for others and would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need.
“He was sweet, he was caring,” Palmer said.
Growing up, Samuel loved football, and his favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baker-Lewis said. He played football in middle school and for Conway High School. He was known by the nicknames “E” and “Foolie,” which Baker-Lewis said was because the 26-year-old liked to go out on the dance floor, boogie and act crazy.
Samuel hoped to open his own business selling televisions and other items before he was gunned down, Baker-Lewis said. He had looked at some storefronts in the Conway, but had yet to settle on a location. He also spent time helping to fix things and was known as a bit of a handyman.
Palmer and Samuel were raising children together—three were Samuel’s from a previous relationship and two were Palmer’s. Baker-Lewis said her son was in school when he had his first child and always made sure to take time for them, even with his schoolwork.
Palmer said the fact Samuel was such a good dad to his kids, as well as hers, made life easier.
“He made sure they had everything they needed,” Palmer said.
