Katerius "Terry" Moody was 8 years old when his mother died. His father was in and out of the picture, relatives say, so Terry assumed a responsibility well beyond his years.
"He became like a father figure to me," said his younger brother, Kennard Moody, just one year and 20 days Terry's junior. "He was a role model -- not just to me, but to everyone who knew him."
On Saturday night, 18-year-old Terry -- father to a baby due in five months -- was gunned down at a block party off Langford Parkway. Four others were wounded in the attack; East Point police say they are looking for at least two gunmen.
With his brother gone, Kennard figures it's his turn to step up.
"That baby ... that's part of me," the 17-year-old told the AJC. "That's my brother. I got to be there for [the baby]."
Terry's group, the Polo Kidz, a hip-hop ensemble, provided the entertainment at Saturday's party. Music was the 18-year-old Mays High School graduate's passion, and he was set to attend Fort Valley State this fall to learn the finer points of his chosen craft.
"He died doing what he loved," said Terry's cousin, Shaquinda Carter, 23. Her mother, Terry and Kennard's aunt, raised the boys after her sister passed away. "Terry was always very generous. He liked making other people happy."
Police don't yet know why Terry was killed.
"This large party was going on and for whatever reason a couple of groups started fighting," East Point Police Sgt. Cliff Chandler said. "And people decided to pull guns out."
Carter's mother spent Monday planning her nephew's funeral, scheduled for Saturday.
"Kennard's having a tough time," Carter told the AJC. "That was his other half. He idolized [Terry]."
Kennard admitted as much, saying he refuses to believe his brother is gone.
"I'm still in a daze," he said. "He was someone I could talk to. He taught me everything I know."
Letting go won't be easy.
"I still feel him around me," Kennard said. "Always will."
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