DEKALB COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
A string of tragic events has forever connected two families after two men were killed in separate events on the same night.
On the night of May 14, a DeKalb County police officer struck and killed 27-year-old Clinton Hightower while he was on his way to help other officers involved in a high-speed chase.
Those officers were chasing Quentric Williams after police said he shot and killed 28-year-old Mitt Lenix at the Starlight Drive-in Theatre.
Police said all Mitt Lenix did was ask Williams for help because his car wouldn't start, and that he was shot because he interrupted an intimate moment between Williams and his girlfriend.
Mitt Lenix's mother, Candy Lenix, told CBS Atlanta News that, despite her loss, she doesn't want Williams to face the death penalty.
"I know that everybody thinks he did this, he should be put to death. I don't wish that. I don't believe in revenge. I want him to know that I forgive him," she said.
Candy Lenix and her husband, William, said their son was a world champion martial arts expert. He was also an army combat medic who spent the majority of his life helping people.
That's why Candy and William Lenix reached out to Hightower's mother.
"She's a mother and I am a mother too," Candy Lenix said. "I just figured she needed my support."
Candy and William Lenix decided to donate $1,000 to help with Hightower's burial and gave the money to Hightower's mother through the Hero Fund they started in their son's honor.
"We felt we could keep his legacy alive through this Hero Fund," William Lenix said. "Hopefully we brought a little bit of joy into their life."
If you would like to donate to the Mitt Lenix Hero Fund, click here.
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Scene of crash where Hightower was killed
