COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The longtime partner of a 33-year-old Columbia man who died in a New Year's Eve shooting at a local apartment complex is sharing her grief, and imploring the community to put the guns down.
Columbia police said Lenny Corley was shot and killed at the Riverside Apartments right around 10:30 on Tuesday night. Another man was shot as well, but police said he is expected to recover.
That apartment complex is off Lucius Road, near the Broad River.
Ebony Amaker, the mother of two of Corley's seven children, said in a Thursday interview that she is still in disbelief over the news.
"The last few days have been very slow-motion for me, kind of like living in another dimension, unreal," she said.
Amaker said it has been incredibly difficult trying to navigate how to explain what happened to her daughters, 3 and 6-years-old.
They are not able to process or understand what happened to their father, she said.
"I haven't eaten since December 31," Amaker said. "I haven't slept. I can't describe this feeling, but it's a feeling that I never want to wish on anyone. It's going to be a long road from here."
Amaker said Corley was a great father and partner.
The pair was together for more than a decade, and had separated.
"That was my person, that was my best friend," Amaker said. "Even when we were at odds with each other, that was still my go-to person."
But they continued to co-parent.
Corley was always there for his girls, Amaker said.
"I'm going to try my best to make sure that my two stay connected to their other siblings, as he has always kept them together," she said. "Just move forward the best I know how. He loved his kids so I feel like I'm doing him an honor by making sure that our daughters live a successful life."
Amaker said her 6-year-old called Corley several times on New Year's Eve, hours before he died.
"She called him a million times from her iPad on December 31," she said. "She talked to him all that day and every time she rung, he answered."
Corley and Amaker's last conversation on the day he passed was about their children.
He was a "gentle giant" with a big heart, Amaker said.
Corley was a baseball player in his youth, loved Kobe Bryant and worked as a cook at Pawley's Front Porch in Five Points until he was killed.
Amaker said she will cherish the memories she shared with "Superdad" as she raises their daughters.
As she searches for answers in Corley's death, Amaker is pushing for an end to gun violence.
"If you know something, say something," she said. "Put the guns down. Gun violence has turned this world upside down, and so much can be solved without a gun. Guns are not needed because they're taking mothers from children and fathers from children."
Amaker is confident that justice will be served in this case.
Columbia Police has not said what could have possibly led up to the shooting, or how many people were involved.
Officers are still investigating, and WIS saw Columbia Police cruisers at the apartment complex on Thursday afternoon.
Police are looking for tips.
Anyone with information that could lead to an arrest is encouraged to contact Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.