RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Authorities in Raleigh are investigating a fatal shooting in a Southeast Raleigh neighborhood.
Just after 4 a.m. Thursday, police were called to the 700 block of Quarry Street at Tipton Street, between East Lenoir Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
When they arrived, they found 23-year-old James Alston III's body lying in the street.
Several people gathered at the scene, some overcome with emotion, as authorities gathered evidence and canvased the area with a police dog.
Alston's mentor told ABC11 that Alston had recently got out of jail and was trying to turn his life around.
"I've worked so hard with this young man," said Alston's mentor and friend, Diana Powell. "He was going to school. He had got him a job. He had got him a car. He had got him a house. He was doing fine."
Family and friends in the neighborhood have set up a makeshift memorial for Alston and confirmed Powell's account that he was trying to turn his life around.
"All he needed was just a little more time, just a little bit more time," said Powell through tears.
Alston had a fiancee and three small children. Powell was planning to marry Alston and his fiancee later this year.
No arrests have been made at this time. Detectives are asking for the public's help as they work to identify and charge the suspect or suspects responsible for the shooting.
Anyone with information that might assist the ongoing investigation is strongly urged to call Raleigh CrimeStoppers at (919) 834-HELP or visit raleighcrimestoppers.org for text and email reporting options.
CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for anonymous tips that help solve cases.