The mother of a man who died in a mass shooting in Southeast D.C. on Saturday told WTOP that her son worked three jobs to support his family and intended to be a role model for young people.

“I can’t express to you how much my son meant to the community,” Tempie Satcher said. “BJ was a true role model for all of us.”

Who is Bernard Hodges?

Bernard “BJ” Hodges, 35, was identified as one of three persons murdered in a shooting Saturday in the 1600 block of Good Hope Road around 8:30 p.m. Tymea Cook, 27, of Southeast D.C., and Reginald Gilbert, 34, of no permanent location, were identified as the others.

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According to D.C. police, two additional persons were hurt in the shooting.

Hodges was well-versed on the crossroads of 16th Street and Good Hope Road. He would throw cookouts and “feed the guys out there on the streets”. It mattered a lot to him to ensure that no one in the community went hungry.

Satcher claimed that on the night of the shooting, Hodges had just dropped his sons off at her house before driving over to the crossroads he frequented. Satcher claimed that his friends informed her that “he was in the wrong place at the wrong time because he had just gotten out there.”

Hodges went to HVAC school and worked three jobs before graduating as salutatorian. He worked in the MGM boiler room and then went to another job in the morning.

“His wife is in a lot of pain because she said he was the type of man who didn’t want her to work,” Satcher added. “He took care of the bills.” He supplied for his family.”

Hodges would chat to folks in the community about what they wanted to do in life and how they could get there, according to Satcher. If someone had a question, he’d look it up on Google.

“He would even try to go as far as giving them information, basically putting the jobs in their hands,” Satcher explained. “All they had to do was step right into it.”

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Satcher stated that she and Hodges went to a family reunion in Atlanta approximately two weeks ago, which was Hodges’ first in several years. He inquired if the next family reunion may be held in D.C. next summer.

“He had a heart of gold,” Satcher remarked.

Despite the fact that her son had been arrested several times, Satcher stated he was driven to change his life.

“That’s not the path he’d want to take,” Satcher said, adding that Hodges did not want to be a role model for his sons.

Satcher said Hodges had grown angry with the city’s rising crime rate well before Saturday’s shooting.