A Georgia man tragically lost his life in a shooting incident involving two masked assailants, leaving his fiancée devastated and mourning the loss of her “best friend.”

William “Bam” Tatum, aged 40, was returning home with takeout for his family on October 10 when he was confronted by two unknown men. His fiancée, who prefers to remain anonymous, recounted to local ABC station WTVM a chilling demand made by one of the men outside her door: “If you don’t open the door, we will kill him.”

The horrifying situation escalated when the two men ultimately shot Tatum, despite taking nothing from the scene.

Tatum’s fiancée explained to WTVM that the fatal incident unfolded right in front of her and the two children she shares with Tatum. In an attempt to shield herself and the children, she deliberately averted her eyes from the suspects, hoping it would keep them safe.

According to WTVM, Tatum, who was a self-employed father of four, was heading home for a family movie night when he was ambushed at gunpoint near his front door. The two children with his fiancée were his youngest.

Behind the closed door, Tatum’s fiancée overheard him pleading with the attackers to spare his family, even urging her not to open the door despite the threats. She eventually chose to open it, telling WTVM, “If they would have killed him outside, and I wouldn’t have opened the door, that would have haunted me forever because I’m like, ‘I should’ve opened the door, and he told me “no.”‘ I heard him say, ‘Kill me.’ He was trying to protect us.”

She told WTVM, that from behind the door, she told Tatum that she was there for him, and thought “he’s probably so mad at me” for agreeing to open the door.

The two men “left with nothing,” Tatum’s fiancee said, adding, “You just took an innocent life for no reason, away in front of his kids, and took my best friend away.”

The Columbus Police Department is investigating the fatal shooting and asking the public for information that may lead to an arrest.