WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The widow of the City of Winston-Salem sanitation worker, killed on the job by a co-worker, just days before Christmas is speaking about the incident.
"It's like I'm numb and void, my best friend, my lover, my kids' father... he is gone," said Latoya Forte-Cobb.
The father of four, three girls and one boy, 48-year-old Terry Lee Cobb had just celebrated his son's birthday on December 19th.
The next day, December 20th, wife Latoya said she tried to talk him into calling for a day off from work so they could do some Christmas shopping.
However, she said she was unable to persuade him and so he went to work instead.
According to Mrs. Cobb, 'I love you' were some of the last words her avid biker husband, Terry, said to her before he walked out of their home nearly two weeks ago. Their children were still asleep.
"At 5:24 my husband woke me up and gave me a kiss telling me he loves me and told me to call him when I got up," said Forte-Cobb
But Latoya would never get the chance to make that phone call or hear her husband's voice ever again.
That's because not long after Mr. Cobb arrived at his sanitation department job, in the Joycelyn V. Johnson Municipal building on Lowery Street, police got 911 calls about a shooting.
"At 6:15 my phone was ringing to let me know that my husband had been shot," added Cobb.
Winston-Salem Police responded to the scene immediately. They said another sanitation worker, 61-year-old Steven Haizlip had brought a firearm to the workplace and he had shot and killed Terry Cobb.
Investigators say Haizlip also wounded another co-worker and then engaged police officers in a shoot out.
He wounded an officer before police responded with deadly force and killed Haizlip.
Latoya said things could have been much worse had other employees not fled the scene when they did or hid from the sight of the shooter.
"My husband wasn't the only one he was after, he was after three other people. They would've had four bodies laying up in that place, not just one," she said.
Cobb decried the absence of adequate security measures at the facility like metal detectors.
Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines who condoled with the family and members of the community at Cobb's funeral said the incident exposed loopholes in security at some city buildings and facilities, which they are now looking to address.
"We have been looking at our whole security at all our buildings for some time, and actually we are getting ready to make some changes improving security in the workplace and we want to make sure our employees have a very safe and secure place to come to work every day," said Mayor Allen Joines.
Mayor Joines said some of those changes could include metal detectors, however, Cobb says that's coming a little too late for her husband.
"Other people were able to get away, but my husband was a victim. Why does my husband have to be the example," she asked rhetorically.
Other sanitation workers told WFMY News 2 that Mr. Cobb and Mr. Haizlip had a longstanding dispute and had an altercation the day before the shooting. Mrs. Cobb said had some action been taken knowing the extent of alleged 'beef' that existed between the two, perhaps both men would still be alive.
"They should have let one of them go or let both of them go. You can't take things like this lightly," she said.
Latoya says she and her children are still grappling with their grief but as she processes the way forward, she is also trying to focus on the reality of raising them without their dad. The family is planning to begin professional counseling in the coming days. This weekend, the Cobb children will be visiting the cemetery for the first time since their father was laid to rest on December 27th.
Mrs. Cobb added that she is seeking solace in her faith and acknowledges she and her family are not the only ones hurting from the incident which led to her husband's death. She said two families lost their father and a loved one and empathized with the Haizlip family.
"I have forgiven him but I can't forget it, because I can't get to where I need to be, in heaven, if I walk around with hatred in my heart," she concluded.
In the meantime, the Cobb family has retained a lawyer who has notified the City of Winston-Salem.
"We are exploring all the legal options for the Cobb's to determine what is in their best interest and what avenues they should pursue legally," said Attorney David Freedman of Crumpler Freedman Parker and Witt law firm in Winston-Salem.
"There are a lot of legal issues out there, we are trying to do the proper research and investigations," added Freedman.
WFMY News 2 reached out to the City of Winston-Salem to get more details about formal documentation on record about Mr. Cobb and Mr. Haizlip's alleged work-place relationship.
Assistant City Manager Damon Dequenne sent us this statement below.
"Because this matter is still under investigation, the City will refrain from providing any details regarding the December 20th incident and commenting thereupon. Additionally, the City, due to the personnel privacy statute, is unable to address whether or not there were any workplace issues between Mr. Cobb and Mr. Haizlip and unable to provide any documentation thereof, to the extent such exists. With respect to your question regarding notification of legal representation, the City is aware that Mrs. Cobb has retained legal representation."
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