He called his mom from a metro-east nightclub to say I love you. Hours later, he was dead.

Hours before Antonio Patton was shot to death, he called his mother from inside a noisy East St. Louis club and told her he loved her.

He said he would call back in a bit, after he stepped outside. Marquetta Patton-Matlock never heard from him again and soon learned he had been shot to death, she said in an interview with the BND.

“He was my baby. He was a momma’s boy,” she said, amid a flood of tears. “ I‘m not saying my son was perfect. But he was perfect to me. I know he did wrong some of the time.

“ But, his pros outweighed the cons. He was a blessing. He didn’t do anything but smile and laugh.”

Patton was one of three people shot outside of DaBlitz Sports Bar and Grill in the 1300 block of North Ninth Street on July 31, according to Illinois State Police.

Patton, 30, and Alexander Matlock, 47, were killed, according to St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. Matlock was pronounced dead at 2:55 a.m. and Patton at 2:56 a.m. Their hometowns were not released.

A woman, whose identity was not released, was struck by gunfire and survived. She was taken to an area hospital.

No arrests have been announced, and no other information has been released, including a possible motive. “This investigation is open and ongoing,” Illinois State Police said in a statement Friday.

The BND reached out to the families of the two men to find out more about them. A representative of Matlock’s family was unavailable to comment.

Patton-Matlock talks about her son

Patton was the second oldest of eight siblings. They are all taking his death hard, his mother said. “He always checked on everybody,” said Patton-Matlock. “He was over protective of all of us.”

Patton went to East St. Louis Senior High School where he developed a love for football, his mother said.

He has two children, a 7-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter who look just like him, his mother said.

Patton-Matlock said Patton was a good father and loved his children.

He loved his mother too. She lives outside of the metro-east - she didn’t want to say where - and he still visited her twice a month. That will remain one of her fond memories of her son.

“’That shows you how much of a momma’s boy he is,” she said. “He never felt comfortable walking around where he lived. But, when he got to his mom’s house, all he did was walk around. He said he didn’t have to look over his shoulder.”

She will miss her son pleading with her to cook some beef stew or chili for him. “Momma please fix me some beef stew or some chili,” he would say. “Those were his two favorite foods. I fixed it from scratch.”

Justice for Patton and his family

Navigating the rest of her life without her son will be a daunting challenge.

“From the moment he entered the world, he was flashing a winner’s smile,” she said.” And everyday since, anyone who knew him would talk about his big smile.

She said he son helped people.

“Tony has helped so many people. His friends who were locked up could count on him. He made sure their kids had food. He made sure the parents had food,” she said. “ He was a caregiver. That’s what he was”.

Patton-Matlock wants justice for her son. She asks why can’t people just put the guns down?

“When will this craziness end?,” she said. “ How many more families have to deal with something like this?”