Vallejo dad gunned down while walking dog

VALLEJO, Calif. (KTVU) - A Vallejo family is grieving the loss of a young father gunned down in his neighborhood while walking his dog. 

Police say they have no suspects in custody in the ambush of 29-year-old Coy Lacey Jr., Saturday afternoon near Westwood Street and Lain Drive. 

"Coy was a father, loved his kids. That's all, just living life trying to raise his boys," said the victim's older sister Jessica Howard-Baxter. 

She and other loved ones were gathered Monday evening at their mother's house on Hazelwood Drive.

They say he left from the same house, to take his dog for a walk after work, but failed to return. 
"We started calling his phone," said Baxter tearfully," and he didn't answer, and we knew something was wrong."  

Only later did the family learn the FedEx delivery driver and father of two was dead. 

Son Kalani is six years old, baby Kahdyen is almost two. 

"It's gonna be tough, but we're just trying to be strong for each other," said Baxter. After the attack, police found the pit-bull puppy unhurt.

"As far as I know this man was just out walking his dog," said Police Lt. Herman Robinson.  Witnesses said Lacey encountered someone he knew on the sidewalk. They spoke briefly, and Lacey walked away. 

"As he was continuing to walk his dog, two other individuals attacked him. And he ran off as they were firing at him," detailed Robinson. 

Lacey was shot multiple times, and collapsed trying to flee into a backyard. Arriving paramedics tried to revive him and he was rushed to Kaiser Hospital, where he died.  

"The officers come, and asked me, did I see anything?" said neighbor Lula Collins, "and I said no but I heard something, it sounded like a machine gun, just pop pop pop, pop...." And they heard a car screech away.... 

"We've been working 20 hours a day on this, since it happened," said Lt. Robinson, noting numerous semi-automatic rounds were fired by at least two men. "Coy was not angry, not an angry person at all," said the victim's godsister Naja Turner, "so I don't understand why, how, what was the issue ?"  

The family describes Lacey as goofy and easygoing. He enjoyed riding dirt bikes. And he was devoted to his boys. "It's really sad and I miss my godbrother, and I know his kids will miss him," said godsister Briana Allen.

Lacey's little ones don't realize their father is gone. The Lacey family moved to Vallejo from San Francisco when he was 13, and attended, but did not graduate, from Hogan High. 

His family can think of no reason he'd have enemies.  

"Nothing for someone to gun him down the way he did, like an animal, no," said his sister vehemently. 

A GoFundMe has been set up to offset Lacey's burial expenses and provide for his children. 

Police are still sorting out a motive, and whether the initial street conversation, which didn't seem to be hostile, was related to the deadly ambush moments later.