I lost my younger brother, Alan D. Wooten, on April 1, 1990, to a senseless killing in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was only 27 years old and full of life. We were less than a year apart and very close. Over the last 10 years of his life leading up to his transition, he always talked before about coming to visit me since I lived in a different state approximately nine hours away. Then it happened, sometime in early March of 1990 he called to informed me that he was finally coming to visit. I didn’t believe until he read his airline ticket to me over the phone. I was ecstatic and excited that he was finally coming to see me and my family. At the time I didn’t realize that this would be the last time I saw and spent time with my beloved brother.
Upon his arrival he was so excited to see me and my children whom he hadn’t seen in a while. I invited to take him to a couple of clubs in Washington, D.C., to talk and catch up with each us, to which he declined. The next day, our choir was scheduled to sing at our church revival, to which he eagerly agreed to attend. To my surprise, during the altar call, my brother Alan rededicated his life to Christ. I was in tears. We had both grown up in the church and both had been baptized at an early age. I remember before he left, he had me to play the tape over and over of his acceptance at the altar. Until this day, I believed that he had a premonition. He barely made his flight on time back to Cincinnati. I remember telling him to make sure he called me when he got home. The next call was a couple of weeks later with the unfortunate news that my brother, Alan, had been shot during a fight at a house party. The story was that the friend of the guy that he fought pulled out a gun and shot him in the back of the head, and the ambulance was called late because they had to clean up the illegal drugs and alcohol before the police and ambulance arrived. My brother died several hours later at the hospital. Until this day no has come forth to identify his killer. How can people who you call your friends withhold information?
Our family was devastated, and my mother grieves until this day in the loss of her youngest and most energetic son. We started an organization, Parents Against Senseless Killings, in memory of Alan. Because of the lack of community involvement, PASK has laid doormat. My mom also donated his organs. Alan left behind a loving family and three beautiful daughters who have grown up and are doing very well with children of their own. GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN! REST IN PEACE MY DEAR BROTHER, ALAN