DETROIT – Friends and family are heartbroken after a father of nine was gunned down Monday on Detroit’s east side.

Stanley Williams was found shot multiple times in the middle of Robinwood Street near 7 Mile Road and Van Dyke.

“This, this is crazy, man,” Marc Deandre said.

The shock of losing his childhood friend is still there for Deandre.

"I just seen him the day before. Yeah, it just happened last night. Everybody is distraught about it, I mean he had nine kids," he said.

Police said someone shot Williams multiple times about 8:30 p.m. Someone found Williams in the middle of the street.

Deandre said it happened because his friend was trying to protect his neighborhood.

“He ran some guys off the block who was selling dope, trying to get them out of the neighborhood, and they came back and retaliated. It’s just so unfortunate that we would lose somebody like that, especially a father of nine. He’s just trying to help clean the community up, clean this block up,” Deandre said.