need to know
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An Oklahoma bride-to-be is planning a funeral instead of a wedding after her fiancé was shot and killed
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Thelisa Sparks on losing fiancé Brentley Joseph Mueller: ‘We never thought our love story would end this way,’ she said, calling it ‘a senseless and brutal act of violence’
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The Oklahoma City Police Department says the cause of a fatal shooting at an apartment complex on Feb. 6 is “unknown.”
After tragedy struck, an Oklahoma bride-to-be is now planning a funeral instead of a wedding.
Thelisa Sparks’ fiancé, 42-year-old Brentley Joseph Mueller, was shot to death on February 6. The fatal incident occurred at an apartment complex on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Oklahoma City, according to the Oklahoma City Police Department.
The department said officers found Mueller suffering from a gunshot wound after responding to a report of shots fired at about 11:17 p.m. local time. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died. “It is unclear what led to the shooting,” police said, adding that no arrests had been made.
Sparks, who described her late fiancé as her “best friend” and “soulmate,” recalled her final moments with Mueller in an interview with local outlet KOCO 5 News.
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“I just remember holding him in my arms, crying and telling him, ‘You have to breathe. Look at me.’ He was eye to eye with me, trying to take his last breath, and it was so uncomfortable,” she shared.
The couple are set to marry in April after many years together. Sparks told KOCO 5 News that she and Mueller had been through some ups and downs, but Mueller was in a very good place when he died.
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“He got a job. He did everything he could to change his life, and I think that’s the hardest part. You change your life and then your life comes out of nowhere,” she said.
“I just wanted him to come home, but I knew he wasn’t going to. I knew he wasn’t going to come home,” Sparks added of losing her fiancé.
In a GoFundMe created to help Mueller’s family pay for his funeral and burial expenses, the grieving bride wrote that Mueller, 42, was “taken from us in a senseless and brutal act of violence.”
She remembered her late fiancé as “a bright light to all who knew him.”
“He had a nurturing heart, a vibrant spirit, and a way of making people feel safe, seen and loved,” she continued. “He gave life lessons without judgment, helped without hesitation, and sang just to make someone smile. That’s who he was – pure love.”
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She went on to say that the two had been “preparing for a gorgeous wedding, dreaming about their future together, and it never occurred to me that instead of celebrating our love, we were planning a funeral.”
“Nothing can prepare you for losing the one and only you have, especially in such a violent and unexpected way,” she said.
Sparks wrote that any funds raised will “help ensure that Brentley gets the beautiful farewell he deserves and allows his loved ones the space to grieve without adding fear and stress.”
“Your kindness, compassion and support mean more than words can express,” she concluded. “Thank you for helping us honor Brentley’s life, his love and his legacy.”
As of Tuesday, February 17, the GoFundMe had raised $3,151 of a $4,500 goal.
The Oklahoma City Police Department is asking anyone with information about the Feb. 6 shooting to call the homicide tip line at (405) 297-1200.
Read the original article on People
