Perry Lucas shot two brothers, killing one of them Tuesday night after the brothers arrived at his Fitchburg apartment, police said Thursday. The brothers were with Lucas’ former girlfriend, who wanted to retrieve some of her belongings from the residence, police said.

Fitchburg Police Lt. Chad Brecklin said after a disturbance broke out in the apartment and spilled into the hallway, Lucas went back into the apartment, returned with a gun and fired multiple shots, killing Detarius Martin, 23, of Madison, and wounding Chukarius Martin, 27, who also lives in the apartment building at 3309 Leopold Way.

Lucas, 28, is being held in the Dane County Jail on a tentative charge of first-degree intentional homicide.

The victims’ mother, Bessie Martin of Madison, said Thursday that Detarius, whom friends and family called Tari, was a gentle man devoted to his two children.

“Tari was like a 6-foot-4 teddy bear,” Bessie Martin said. “He was not a fighter. ... He liked being happy.”

Brecklin said that on the evening of the shooting, the Martins met Lucas’ former girlfriend and another woman who was with her. A third woman was present in the apartment Lucas and his former girlfriend shared, Brecklin said.

The former girlfriend was not in the immediate vicinity at the time of the shooting, Brecklin said.

After getting the gun, Lucas confronted the Martins and one of the women and then shot the brothers, Brecklin said.

Detarius, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, was pronounced dead at UW Hospital. Chukarius was treated and released for what his mother said was a single gunshot wound to his right arm.

Bessie Martin said Detarius’ 2-year-old son lives in Madison and his 4-year-old daughter lives in Milwaukee.

She said her son — a 2004 graduate of Madison West High School, where he played basketball — planned to take fire protection classes at Madison Area Technical College this fall, with the goal of becoming a firefighter “and to make his kids proud of him.”

“He said he wanted them to say ... my dad is a firefighter,” Bessie Martin said.

The Martins moved to Madison from Chicago in 1993, Bessie Martin said.

Riche Battle, a cousin of Detarius and Chakarius who is serving with the U.S. Navy in Seattle, said “Everybody is so in shock.”

Detarius and Chukarius “went to go help someone,” Battle said. “Now we’ve got to prepare for a funeral and bury a family member.”

Battle described Detarius as “just an amazing young man” who was “ridiculously driven.”

Bessie Martin said a funeral in Madison was being planned for early next week.

— State Journal reporter Chris Rickert contributed to this report.

See also: Accused killer's motto: 'Stay involved'