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Family of Springfield homicide victim asks public to help investigation

The family of Springfield's first homicide victim this year is in disbelief that their loved one is gone.

Jeffery Rife, 36, was fatally shot early Saturday morning in the 500 block of South Clairmont Avenue.

RELATED: Murders drop in Springfield, but chief says gun violence still up

Another man, Ronald McElroy, 43, was also shot on South Clairmont Avenue. He suffered a single gunshot wound to the leg, according to Springfield police.

READ MORE: Police investigating Springfield's first homicide of 2017

An argument escalated into the shooting that killed Rife and injured McElroy, Springfield Police Division Lt. Jeffery Meyer said.

Investigators have interviewed several witnesses, he said, but they haven't made an arrest.

"What they did, they took somebody special. I can't live with this, I feel like I'm in a terrible nightmare," said Patricia Rife, the mother of Jeffery Rife.

Jeffery Rife's teenage daughter and older brother agreed. They all said Jeffery Rife was a well-loved man who valued life and family.

Both the family and police have asked anyone who has information to come forward. The Springfield Police Division can be reached at 937-324-7680 or 937-324-7716.

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