"It's just tragic:" Friends of man fatally shot at Milwaukee bar say he died protecting his fiancee



MILWAUKEE -- Friends are remembering a man shot and killed inside a bar on Milwaukee's northwest side early on Sunday, January 1st. The shooting marks Milwaukee's first homicide of 2017.

Patrick Presley



Those close to Patrick Presley say the 37-year-old has never been in a violent situation before in his life. They say he died trying to protect his fiancee from the very person who killed him.

Presley was killed at Dee's Elegance Bar & Grill. A group of friends that normally gathers there now see the establishment as a place to mourn.

"It's just tragic. Senseless," said Tdot Kingsby, a friend of Presley.

Friends of Patrick Presley gather outside Dee's Elegance Bar & Grill



"He's out with his fiancee on New Year's Eve. He wasn't doing nothing wrong," said Harvey Scales, Jr., a friend of Presley.

Fatal shooting at Dee's Elegance Bar & Grill



Milwaukee police say Presley was fatally shot around 5:00 a.m. inside the bar after getting into an altercation with at least two other people. Witnesses say it started after a strange man had been harassing Presley's fiancee.

"This guy attempted to grab his fiancee's hand again. Pat turned to the guy and said, 'I told you once -- she's here with somebody. What are you doing?' And before he could finish his sentence, the guy shot him," Scales said.

It's a devastating turn of events on the first day of the year for a man friends say still had much to live for. Presley was supposed to get married in 2017 -- and had two successful businesses.

Fatal shooting at Dee's Elegance Bar & Grill



"He had his own home improvement business. He did entertainment music stuff on the side. And he took care of his kids," Scales said.

Patrick Presley



"He's going to be missed. He's going to be missed. And he didn't deserve that," Kingsby said.

Presley's loved ones are wondering how someone was able to bring a gun into the bar on New Year's Eve.

As for the suspects, police continue to search for the two people responsible.