'She died in my arms': Partner of woman killed in gas station honors her at vigil held in her memory

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A small business owner and mother were shot and killed at a gas station on Detroit's west side.

Sherrone Ellis died in front of her partner and her own daughter. On Tuesday night, dozens of friends and family gathered outside her restaurant to make sure her death was not in vain.

Purple was the favorite color of Sherrone Ellis, and tonight there was a sea of it outside the gas station at Evergreen and Schoolcraft.

Inside the station was her pride and joy - her restaurant, Fun on the Run Soul Food, was a place where she met customers like Hezekiah Cotton.

"Ms. Ellis, she was a very positive woman and her words were very powerful," said Cotton.

He said Ellis made a huge impact on his life.

"Not even just innocent, more than that, this woman was pure," he said. "She really carried herself in a way that promoted other people to be better."

Outside, at the vigil, mourned Wydell Gulley, Sherrone Ellis' partner.

"She was my world, you know when you've been with someone so long, you don’t have to get married," Gulley said.

The vigil was a combination of grieving while celebrating a life well-lived.

It happened Friday night as Gulley, Ellis and her daughter were on their way to eat, stopping at a gas station near Joy and Evergreen.

"We left the house, we pulled into the gas station to go into the store to get something," Gulley said. "I put one foot out the car, and there were the shots."

Police say the shots were never meant for her. There have still been no arrests in the case.

"She died in my arms," Gulley said.

None of that matters to them now.

"Revenge, none of that is going to make them walk back to you," he said.

And as they release the balloons to the sky they hope that a fraction of the pain they feel, is lifted off their shoulders as they took flight.

"If you got something that you want to do, do it," Gulley said. "Because the way the world is going right now, it's not going in a safe place," he said.

Police say it is not clear who the intended target was. As soon as the shots were fired Gulley says he tried to rush her to the hospital but it was too late.