Victor Fooks

HAZELWOOD — The hotel manager killed over the weekend lived at the extended-stay facility where he was gunned down, serving as its “peacekeeper,” several people said on Monday. Victor Fooks, 52, was shot and killed Saturday night on the back parking lot of the InTown Suites Extended Stay Hotel in Hazelwood as he tried to ensure that two people who had been kicked out of the hotel were indeed leaving, authorities said. “Everybody in the building loved that man,” said hotel resident Delillah Gore, and they all worked together to clean up the crime scene after police left. All three suspects in the shooting — 20-year-old Jaylin McElroy, 18-year-old Marshaun Brinkley and an unnamed 16-year-old — opened fire, and Fooks returned fire, said Hazelwood police Capt. Tim Burger. Fooks and an associate had gone outside after McElroy and Brinkley were asked to leave when an argument escalated in one of the rooms, according to court documents. Tensions were high as all three suspects pulled out guns in the parking lot, and the conflict erupted in gunfire. Fooks was shot in his knees and hands, police said. He crawled back into the hotel, and officers found him unresponsive in a hallway. He died at a hospital. McElroy was also shot in the chest, but police said they don’t know who hit him. He remained hospitalized Monday evening. On Monday afternoon, with several parked cars at the hotel still showing bullet holes and broken windows, residents mourned Fooks’ death. “Everybody had his back because he kept it safe here,” Gore said. “He hated to call the police. ... He was a peacemaker. He literally did nothing to no one. When this happened, he was trying to keep the peace.” Gore said her husband was leaving the hotel to pick her up at about 10:45 p.m. when he saw what was happening and called 911. Extended-stay hotels like InTown offer people weekly and monthly rates in furnished rooms and provide amenities similar to apartments — including kitchenettes and laundry facilities. Residents said Fooks was from Virginia, and his daughter and her children also lived at the hotel. His family could not be reached on Monday. Residents also said Fooks hosted barbecues and helped look after all the children living at the facility. He put up a basketball hoop for the kids, and he often organized holiday parties. He had been a manager at the hotel for at least four years, said resident Gabrielle Fleming. She’s lived at the hotel for about three years and said Fooks showed her some leniency when she recently gave birth to her son and money was tight. “He was very helpful, very understanding,” she said. “In a place like this, everyone needs help. And he said all the time, ‘I just want to help my people. There’s a lot going on, and I just want to help my people.’ He was a really nice man.” Sean Maguire is a double amputee and said Fooks helped him move out of his previous apartment and into the InTown Suites about two months ago when Maguire needed a place to stay. He said Fooks was even-keeled, took care of the residents and handled conflict well. He also said Fooks’ birthday was on Thursday — Thanksgiving — and he celebrated with a community dinner for hotel residents. “He really went out of his way,” Maguire said. “I needed him, and he was there. That’s what counts. There’s not a person he wouldn’t help. Everybody needs to know how good a guy he was.” Gore said the men charged in Fooks’ killing did not live at the hotel, but she had seen them in the building for about two weeks. “We could tell they were trouble,” Gore said. “I hate to say it.” Both McElroy and Brinkley were charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action in Fooks’ death. The 16-year-old, who was charged as a juvenile and not publicly identified, was also charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and armed criminal action. All three initially fled the scene before being arrested, police said. McElroy is in custody on a $750,000 cash-only bond, and Brinkley is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. The 16-year-old was still in custody Monday afternoon, and his bond information was not available.