LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Family and friends gathered Saturday evening to honor the life of Phillip Duane Francis, 44, with a balloon release at Deballion Park in Lafayette.

According to Lafayette police, Francis was allegedly involved in an altercation with another man before he was shot and killed inside the lobby of a hotel on Hugh Wallis Road. He was transported to a local hospital, where he later died.

Police have since identified the suspected shooter as a former Lafayette police officer. He is now facing one count of manslaughter.

Despite the circumstances of his death, those who knew Francis chose to remember the joy he brought to others.

His cousin said, “At the end of the day, my cousin was a good person, you know what I’m saying?”

Francis’s children shared memories of their father at the event. His son, Phillip Francis recalled the moment he learned of his father’s passing.

“It was just like a random day. I was at my Ti Ti’s house, and then when I got back, I see my mom crying. And then she told me he died,” he said. “What I’ll miss most about him is his smile.”

His daughter, Skyler St. Julien, remembered the last conversation she shared with her father, just moments before his death.

“On my birthday this year it felt like everything was falling apart. But he told me that daddy got you. He gave me $500 and told me do whatever you want with it,” she said. “I called him the other day, matter of fact 30 minutes before I found out he passed away, and he said, ‘Those shoes you called me for last night? Daddy gone get it.’”

Loved ones said Francis, known affectionately as “Peacus” or “Mr. Lafayette,” will be remembered most for his smile and the way he could light up a room.

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