Joey Walker, a manager at Schemengees Bar & Grille, died a hero Wednesday, as he picked up a knife while trying to confront gunman Robert Card, his father Leroy Walker told Lester Holt of NBC News.

“Joey Walker was shot to death at Schemengees,” the father said. “He died as a hero because he picked up a butcher knife … and he tried to go at the gunman to stop him from shooting anybody else.”

Leroy Walker, a member of the City Council in next door Auburn, said his son loved helping and working with people. A testament to that is how Joey had organized fundraisers at Schemengees for the past five years, his father told MSNBC.

The next fundraiser Joey had planned, Leroy Walker said, was a cornhole tournament scheduled for Nov. 11, to help raise money for veterans.

“That’s not going to work now because he’s dead,” the father said. “A hell of a loss for the community. He’s done everything he could in his community. … It’s just crazy. It’s still a nightmare.”

Leroy Walker received the tragic news Thursday that his son was shot and killed at the restaurant Wednesday night. The elder Walker stopped by a hospital and reunification center at Auburn Middle School but did not find his son earlier in the day.

“I want you to know that Joe was a great, great son, a loving husband,” Walker told MSNBC. “He had two grandchildren and a stepson living at home with him. … He loved thousands of people. Thousands of people loved him.”