For the eight years Robert Stokes Sr. represented East Baltimore on the City Council, he was well-acquainted with gun violence, whether it was the topic of council hearings or the tragedies in his district.

Still, Stokes Sr. said he never imagined the plague would come for his household. That was something that happened to other people, other families.

Then, two weeks ago, he got a call.

His son, Robert Stokes Jr., 42, was killed in the early hours of April 9 in Northwest Washington. A WMATA bus driver, Stokes Jr. had just gotten off his shift when his coworker, 44-year-old Terrell Cross, shot him before turning the gun on himself, Metropolitan Police and Stokes Jr.’s family said.

Stokes Jr.’s death came as part of a rash of shootings that have rocked D.C. in recent days, according to The Washington Post. However, Washington, like Baltimore, has seen markedly less gun violence than in recent years.

Police described the apparent killing and suicide as a “domestic related incident.” The Stokes family declined to share further details, citing their privacy.

“That was my only son, my only child,” Stokes Sr. said.

A Middle River resident, Stokes Jr. shared a 5-year-old daughter with his wife Kristal, 37. He had three older children from an earlier relationship.

Kristal Stokes described her husband of almost eight years as a man with a sense of the moment. On Valentine’s Day or her birthday, for example, Stokes Jr. would make sure there were flowers and gifts and a special meal.

“That was just his way of showing love to me,” Kristal Stokes said. “He always said he wanted to put a smile on my face.”

He wanted to give his children memorable experiences, whether it was a Christmas morning filled with gifts or trips to amusement parks on summer breaks, she said. “He loved roller coasters.”

Stokes Jr. worked long hours at WMATA to support his family, relatives said.

Stokes Jr. loved video games, horror movies, Baltimore sports and whatever team Lebron James was currently playing on. Once, for his birthday, Kristal Stokes surprised him with a visit to Los Angeles to see the Lakers play.

His memorial service is set for Saturday morning. The family has been coping as best they can.

“I done cried so much,” Stokes Sr. said. “My body is numb, it’s not going to go away. I have to deal with it.”

Stokes Sr., who is running in the 45th District Democratic primary for the Maryland House of Delegates, said he plans to speak more in the future about his son’s killing and domestic violence in general.

“My son is not dying in vain,” he said. “I’m going to talk about this a lot more. I have to.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.