A woman was waiting for her husband of 23 years to arrive home after work. Worke Serete said Tesfaye Birru, who owned the Tic Toc food mart on Evans Mill Road in Stonecrest, called her Feb. 19 to tell her he was closing down for the night.
“He said he was on his way home and to wait for him,” she said. “And I waited.”
He never arrived.
Birru, 57, was found fatally shot outside his store later that evening, according to DeKalb County police.
Now, Serete and her family are hoping someone will come forward with information about who killed him.
In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, the widow and law enforcement made a public plea for information about Birru’s death.
His body was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head, AJC.com previously reported. Investigators believe three suspects tried to rob Birru before shooting him to death, DeKalb Detective J.B. Williams said during the news conference.
“A lot of community members called him ‘Mr. T,’” Williams said.
Williams said those who knew Birru described him as a giving person. He said several people were brought to tears while speaking to police about the store owner.
“They stated that he would give you the shirt off his back,” Williams said. “He would also often times let people get groceries if they didn’t have money and let them pay him later when they got paid.”
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Birru’s wife said he was a hard worker who prioritized his three children over everything.
“He does anything for his kids. Anything,” Serete said. “He comes home late, 12 o’clock. He gets up at 5 o’clock. He never complains. I can’t believe anyone could hurt him.”
Birru’s 14-year-old son, Amanuel Chernet, said his father was “the best dad anyone could ever have.”
“He would never let anyone come into the store crying or sad,” Amanuel said. “He told me all the stories. People come in, they come in sad and he says, ‘Why are you sad? Come on, be happy! Please, for me?’ And they would leave the store with a smile.”
The teen said he’s not sure why someone would kill his father.
“He would give you anything,” Amanuel said. “Anything. Just ask. You don’t have to force him. You don’t have to shoot him. Just ask him. He will do it.”
Williams said the suspects are believed to have fled the shooting scene in a maroon Honda Accord.
He said investigators hope finding the suspects will help assuage some of the family’s grief.
“We are just trying to bring justice for this family so they can have some type of closure,” Williams said. “No matter what happens in this case — even when we catch the suspects — it’s not going to bring Mr. T back. But we do want to bring the family some type of closure in this incident.”
Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
“My husband doesn’t deserve this,” Serete said. “We want to know — we want that person to pay for it. Help us.”
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