A vigil was held Sunday night for murder victim Daniel Shields. A large crowd showed up at Trax, a local gay bar, to mourn.
On July 11, police found Shields dead in his apartment. His SUV was missing from Delaware Avenue in West Nashville.
Officers found it the next day at a hotel on Bell Road. This murder mystery has rocked the LGBTQ community. His friends and co-workers held a cookout, vigil, and drag show in his memory.
"We are a family here, and he will always live in our hearts and always be missed," Landon Struble said.
Struble described Shields as his snarky little brother.
"You couldn't help but love him," Struble said.
Shields was last seen at Trax where he worked as a barback.
Coworkers called police when they hadn't heard from him in days. They said his life was taken too soon.
"I feel like Daniel was finally starting to find his place in the world. He was getting more boisterous and more secure," Struble said.
Angela Coleman is heartbroken. She said Shields was like a son to her.
"He's going to be missed on a daily basis, and I'll carry him in my heart for the rest of my life," Coleman said.
Coleman said he came to Nashville to start over.
"Daniel touched a lot of people's lives, and he was well loved by a lot of people," Coleman said.
On Sunday night, they asked to mourn his loss in private. Many people have been scared since a killer is on the loose.
"Our community is still very afraid of what happened because we don't honestly know all of the details yet," Gary Douglas said.
Douglas said they will be on edge until the case is solved.
"We're just hoping they catch the person or persons who had done this," Douglas said.
Proceeds made from the events will go to LGBTQ charities in Shields' memory.
Anyone with information on who murdered Shields has been urged to call Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME (615-742-7463).
