WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Classmates remember slain Southern student

Classmates remember slain Southern student

By Tyana Williams - bio | email

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Friends of the Southern University student who was killed in San Francisco are finding it difficult to come to grips with the reality that they will not be seeing him around campus anymore.

A banner now hangs inside the engineering department at the university in memory of Michael Bailey. Several messages read, "We won't forget you" and "Rest in Peace." Students said seeing a friend and classmate one day, then learning he's gone the next, is a hard reality to swallow. They added the news is still surreal.

"It's a big difference because normally, I get about three phone calls from Mike every morning, just reminding me about random things like tests and homework, so I don't get those phone calls anymore," said Darnell Parker. "Mike used to bring his three young sons. He had a set of twins and another young son."

The solemn look on his face showed he was trying to cope with the news. Parker said he and the 26-year-old met years ago, through friends. According to him, Mike was the guy people wanted to be around when they were feeling kind of bad. He said before they would get off the phone, Bailey would always say, "Let him know if you need something." Parker said that was like Bailey's trademark and he not going to get that anymore. He added he was finding it difficult to accept Bailey's death and he can't bring himself to write a goodbye on the memorial banner.

"I just saw him Friday, passed him going to class," said Dion Wilson. "I guarantee you that everybody around here knew Mike's face."

He said he met Bailey a few years ago. He also worked with Bailey on a project designing an anti-theft system for cars. Wilson said Bailey was as dedicated to school as he was to raising his family. Another friend recalled seeing Bailey in the hallways with his sons behind him. Many said Bailey was a positive role model and a good father. He left behind a wife and three young sons.

The phone calls started on Sunday from people asking if anyone knew what happened to Bailey. He was a ticket agent at the Delta desk in Baton Rouge and a Southern University senior. He was shot to death in San Francisco over the weekend. Police there call it a good deed turned deadly. Bailey was supposed to graduate from Southern next semester with a degree in electrical engineering.

Bailey and some friends took a last minute trip to San Francisco to visit a cousin. Police there said the group was leaving a nightclub when Ariael Kittles asked them for a ride home. Police believe the 21-year-old woman lured the men to a housing project known for crime, where a gunman was waiting. Words were exchanged and Bailey was shot several times. Police in San Francisco to Kittles into custody but eventually let her go.

Related Stories

• SU student killed in SF robbery

Copyright 2009 WAFB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.