Kendra Nance, 26, said she was walking with her boyfriend when she heard four gunshots. The couple continued walking and saw two men shot inside. Another man was hunched over the second victim who was lying on his side, bleeding, near stools in the coffee shop.



"There was blood everywhere," Nance said. "I had never seen a dead body, so my boyfriend tried to calm me down. He wasn't breathing. He was just lying there."



Relatives said Watkins was the father of two children, ages 1 and 2, and was known for his sense of humor and light-hearted personality. He would jump with the kids in the family in a bouncy house. They would often tease when him about his name and he'd play along, responding, "Oui, Oui."



"I just loved to listen to his stupid anecdotes or whatever to make me laugh," his mother said.



She was consoled on the scene by Watkins' godmother, Renda Harris, 48, of Woodlawn.



"He's been in there for hours and there's nothing we can do about it," Harris said. "At this point we just want to see our baby so we can start processing this. Not being able to see his face is just so devastating. It's so hard picturing him ... facedown in his own blood."



Watkins lived in the 1100 block of East 82nd Street in the Avalon Park neighborhood on the South Side, according to the medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead at 8:17 p.m.



In an online statement Thursday night, Starbucks said it would be closed Friday as the investigation continued.



"The store will be closed tomorrow morning (Friday) as we focus on our local store partners, ensuring they have the support they need," the statement said. "We will continue to support law enforcement in their investigation."



Staff writer Elyssa Cherney contributed.