RIO RANCHO, N.M. – Friends of Vin and Melissa Buscema say they were always the first to help when someone needed it. Now, they hope the community can come together to return the favor. 

They may not be blood-related, but the team at One Jiu Jitsu in Rio Rancho say they’re more like family than anything else. 

“That’s how I met him, actually training at a different gym. We actually got into a pretty good scrap, and he came at me again and that’s how we became the best of friends, pretty much became brothers,” said Tito Valdez, co-owner of One Jiu Jitsu.

They’ve been through a lot together this past month after losing their instructor, mentor, and loved one.

“If you were in trouble he would always be there for you no matter what no matter who it was, he just had a big heart like that,” said Valdez.

Valdez is part owner of the academy, and Vin was too. 

“He had so many followers and students loved him, they just loved him. If he came in the room, they were ready to train extra hard to impress him, cuz he was a good person,” said Valdez.  

But last month, Vin faced a battle he couldn’t win. Police say it all started with Vin’s dad, Vincent Buscema Sr, sending threatening text messages to his son. 

It escalated from there. Police say Vin and his wife Melissa were at their Rio Rancho home with their two boys when Buscema Sr. showed up and shot the couple. 

“I didn’t know he got shot, they just said that he was in the hospital. So when I heard it I thought well my cousin’s 10-feet tall and bulletproof he’s going to be fine,” said Johnny Gallegos, Vin’s cousin. 

Gallegos and Vin never really spent much time apart.

“We grew up very tight very close, spent many many years together,” said Gallegos.   

Gallegos was there as Vin spent nearly a month fighting for his life in the hospital. He died Monday. 

“Sickening, upsetting, extremely extremely angry. It’s been sad, there’s no way to justify what happened. There’s no explanations, there’s nothing anyone can say that will make me feel better,” Gallegos said. 

Melissa is out of the hospital and back with the couple’s two young sons. But Gallegos doesn’t know what the future holds without Vin.

“He was never going to leave, we were going to be old together. But he’s not here, so I don’t know what has died with him, but I’m sure a lot has,” said Gallegos.  

He says he’ll move forward, taking Vin’s legacy of strength with him. 

“To live with courage, not be afraid, go forward. If you want to do something, do it. If you’re interested in something, take the interest and go for it because you never know when things could end,” said Gallegos. 

Everyone KOB 4 spoke to went on about how generous the Buscema family is. If you’d like to help them now, they could really use it.

The family has a GoFundMe page to help with the tough road ahead, emotionally and financially.