>> reporter: 24 hours after sam dreher had been shot, his condition began to deteriorate rapidly. sam's sister, cindy, was there when the family decided to take him off life support. >> i hated it. i thought of him like he was one of my children. i loved him that much. >> were you able to be with sam? were you able to hold his hand and say goodbye? >> i did. >> what did you say to him? >> i made him a promise that the people responsible for his murder would -- would pay for it. >> reporter: the news of sam's passing hit dianne mcknight hard. >> in my mind i'm still thinking, maybe there's still some hope that he can survive this. but when i heard that, i knew that i was never going to see him again. >> reporter: sam's great niece, aubrey cake, didn't make it to