BARBERTON, Ohio — A devastated family is opening up about its loss and a loved one's legacy, one day after a tragedy in Barberton.
Police say that 25-year-old Nathan Flight was shot and killed while simply trying to help a friend who'd been in a domestic disturbance with her husband.
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Flight's relatives are heartbroken, but believe his final actions proved what a big heart he had.
"He was so selfless and he wanted to protect someone he cared about," Kathlene Flight said about her son.
Through her anguish, Flight told us how proud she was of her son, who she can't believe is gone.
"I just miss him," she said.
She said the shooter took her son's life, and therefore, a part of her with it.
Family members said that early Monday morning, Nathan Flight got a call from a friend who told him she had been in an argument with her husband, Justice J. Oney, 24.
Flight decided he needed to help.
"He wanted to help her. He wanted to get her out of there, and he made the ultimate sacrifice for her," his sister Sarah Flight said.
His sister said he asked her to drive him to Barberton from Canton. She dropped him off, never imagining she wouldn't see her younger brother again.
"This is one of the most tragic moments that this family has ever experienced," Flight said.
Police said that about half an hour after being dropped off, Oney found Flight and his wife on East Paige Street a few blocks away from where the domestic dispute started.
Oney allegedly pepper sprayed Flight before shooting him several times.
It has left Flight's sister with haunting questions.
"What if I had stayed? Then what would have happened? Would he still be here?" she said. "Would he have pulled it on me?"
Flight's friend, Shannon Gilbert, said her son was "just the most wholesome person."
Relatives also said that Flight was an amazing uncle, loved outdoor adventures, and was always kind to others.
"He would just light up a room. His smile, it was just immaculate," Gilbert said.
Flight's family stressed it was not unusual for him to help people. If a friend or a family member needed help, he was there. He belonged to a Bible study group who supported each other through difficult times.
"He would go out of his way to help anybody he could," his sister said.
The family is now forced to focus on memories and markings.
"He was strong like a lion," his mother said.
In fact, lion tattoos, shared by Flight and his sister, take on a special meaning now—the family believes Nathan showed a lot of strength helping a friend in need before losing his life.
"People are calling him a hero, and that's what he was to a lot of us," his sister said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Flight family. CLICK HERE for more information.
The suspect is in custody, having been charged with murder. He's being held in lieu of a $1 million bond.
