As they say good-bye to a crime victim, they march with a message about gun violence

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - “Pawel would give you the shirt off his back,” says Romaine Hutto.

Pawel Antosik lost his life on March 3rd. Someone shot and killed him in a parking lot in the 2200 block of North Claiborne Avenue.

“He was a dear friend to anyone who met him,” says Katie Ross.

In true New Orleans fashion, family and friends said good-bye.

“You couldn’t help but fall in love with his charm and his accent. You’d love to hear it,” says Hutto.

Pawel was born in Poland and spent most of his adult life in Germany where he met his husband, Anthony. Together they took a chance on New Orleans.

“He loved the city and it’s people. He wanted to experience every part of the city,” says Anthony Bonal.

Pawel continued his love for New Orleans, even after someone shot him three times back in 2016 as he rode his bike.

Last year, Pawel became a U.S. citizen.

He worked as a cook, and he was known for preparing meals for anyone in need.

“This is proof right here of a man who gave his heart and soul from Poland to come here and live, and his dream was senselessly taken away like this,” says Hutto.

They marched through the St. Roch neighborhood with a message.

“If anything come out of this, I hope it brings awareness to the gun violence situation in St. Roch. That’s what Pawel would have wanted,” says Bonal.

“It’s a regular thing. We hear gunshots here every day,” says Michael Weber.

“I hope that we can get more police patrols around here,” says Katie Ross.

As they make a plea for more police presence, the NOPD says it now has a person of interest in Pawel’s case.

Pawel’s sister and mother traveled from Poland to bury him. In their short time here, they too noticed the violence that surrounds the St. Roch neighborhood.

They’re heartbroken and say something must be done to stop it, and they hope Pawel’s killer is arrested soon.

“It will not change our pain. Our pain will still be big, but maybe some other mother will not have to cry for her son,” says Aneta Piatek.

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