Mitchell White was a friendly family man, his relatives say, the kind of son who called his mother every day to make sure she was doing well and the kind of big brother who was always around to offer advice.

So while they were left grieving over the fact that he was fatally shot in Bowie on Tuesday, they say they weren’t surprised to discover that he was simply trying to keep the peace when his 16-year-old son got into a fight with another teen. As the father attempted to break up the alteraction outside the Belair Swim & Racquet Club near Bowie High School, 19-year-old Deon E. Warren approached with a gun and fired, striking White, police said.

“He’s a type of guy who was always peaceful and a real likable guy,” said his cousin David Morris, 33. “I can only imagine him coming to break it up and say, ‘This is not the right way to do things.’”

Police on Thursday announced an arrest in White’s killing, capturing Warren at a motel in Anne Arundel County less than 48 hours after the father from Bowie died.

While White’s family is pleased to hear that Prince George’s County police made an arrest in the case, they say they are devastated by the loss of a man they called a “mentor,” “a second father” and a “protector.”

Deon E. Warren has been charged with killing Mitchell White, a father who was attempting to break up a fight between his son and another teen in Bowie, Md. (Prince George's County Police)

White, 39, worked for Amtrak as an accountant, his family said, and was planning a wedding in Jamaica with his fiancee next year.

“He was a guy who was happy about life and the direction he was going,” Morris said. “Unfortunately, tragically, this event happened and as a result an innocent person had to lose his life.”

Mark Smith said he considered his older brother a protector and a constant presence.

Smith remembers that White would quickly step in when one of their older brothers would play a prank or pick on him. And White continued to take his older brother role seriously when Smith, a warrant officer in the U.S. Army, returned from a tour in Iraq.

“There’s nothing like someone who has your back when you get back and you have a bunch of issues going on,” Smith, 37, said.

Smith and Morris said that one of White’s greatest pleasures in life included having relatives over to hang out or have a meal. White has a 16-year-old son and a daughter who is 14.

“He liked taking care of his kids and being around his family,” Smith said.

Warren faces first-degree murder charges in White’s killing, police said, and detectives are still working to determine a motive in the shooting and what sparked the altercation that afternoon. Police said Warren has a juvenile record but could not disclose details. A search of Maryland court records showed that Warren was charged with two minor drug offenses, neither of which resulted in convictions.

Smith said they plan to bury White next week in North Carolina, where White grew up surrounded by family.

“I miss him,” Smith said. “We all miss him.”

Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.