MILWAUKEE — Family and friends of 30-year-old Amari Smith of Milwaukee had a bright future ahead of him.
"He wanted to be a barber,” Smith’s mentor, Pastor James West said.
West was not only Smith's mentor but a great friend. The news of Smith's sudden death was heartbreaking.
"Too many innocent lives are being a part of this and it just destroys the community,” West said.
A speeding driver crashed into Smith near 20th and Burleigh on Sunday night. That driver, who is now in custody, was being chased by Milwaukee Police.
West says it's senseless."Your actions don't just hurt you. Ya know it's a domino effect and we're hurting the community."
The community will have one less barber because of the tragic crash. West says Smith really found his passion in cutting hair.
"I saw that spark in his eye. He found himself and reached inside himself and found that unused power ya know. And he was on the move,” West explained.
Family says Smith was set to graduate from MATC this spring for cosmetology and hoping to start a business.
"He said he was a foot solider; he's going out passing out his flyers hand to hand on the street,” West explained.
He said hard work wasn’t the only endearing quality of Smith. His love for others is something he will miss most.
Smith dedicated a lot of his time at Repairers of the Breach, a homeless resource center in Milwaukee.
"He came consecutively, cutting the member's hair at Repairers of the Breach. Lining them up. He wouldn't leave until the last one on the list was done,” West explained.
He wants the reckless driving to end. "We're hurting ourselves; we're hurting the community. And we got to turn it around and go in another direction because we already need healing."
Healing that would go a long way in honoring Smith's legacy. The family started this GoFundMe campaign to help with services.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
