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Family remembers son lost in Alpharetta tragedy as someone who 'made everyone around him happy'

Dante Parara's family said he was an 'amazing son, brother and friend, who single-handedly touched the lives of everyone around him.'

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A grieving family is remembering their son as someone who "made everyone around him happy" after his unthinkably tragic loss.

Dante Parara's family told 11Alive he was an "amazing son, brother and friend, who single-handedly touched the lives of everyone around him."

Parara took his own life last week after a traffic stop, which involved the young man driving away and briefly dragging an officer along with his car. It was an incident a friend of the family said he believed was influenced by "our current national environment with regard to police."

Credit: Provided

The 22-year-old's family did not blame Alpharetta Police, whose chief John Robison called it an "absolute tragedy." And the family friend, attorney Kendrick McWilliams Sr., said in a press conference this week they were grateful for the department's transparency as the incident was investigated.

McWilliams said, though, that while there is no way to ever know for sure what was going on in Parara's mind, he believes the decision was made out of fear - springing out of a national climate where it is difficult for Black Americans to have "confidence in a simple police stop."

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"I think we all need to take a close look and figure out what we all need to do to make that environment better," McWilliams said on Thursday. "So that we don't have our (young men) sitting there on a simple traffic stop feeling like everything that's happening to them is life or death."

Parara's family said in a statement sent to 11Alive that they were going to establish a foundation in his honor to "prevent similar tragedies befalling young people."

"Our son recently gained his angel wings and we are all devastated by this sudden loss," the statement said. "Dante was the ultimate unifier. He brought people together from all different walks of life and just had this aura and smile that was so genuine and just made everyone around him happy. He was a protector and a nurturer which is why he was adored by his younger brother."

Credit: Provided

The family said that GoFundMe details, information about the foundation and funeral arrangements will be made available on the "Friends of Atlanta" Instagram page.

"Dante was a kind, loving, special young man with a mind of his own, but that is what made him so very special to us," his family said. "He was smart, funny, strong willed, and had a strong love for his family and friends."

They noted his successful athletic career at Alpharetta High School in football and basketball, which included his No. 24 shirt being retired. He went on to attend college in Statesboro.

His family said that even as a young child, "you could leave in a room of kids and on your return, they would each tell you individually that Dante was their best friend."

"You see he was warm, genuine and loyal," his family said. "Qualities not owned by many."

As a teenager, they said, he "would watch significant events on TV and say one day he was going to change the world," which is why they've decided to establish the foundation in his name.

"Dante leaves a loving family and great friends here to live with his memories and to celebrate his life," they said.

Credit: Provided

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