ONA, W.Va. -- The void was indescribable Wednesday afternoon at the family home of shooting victim Billy James Jordan.

The 20-year-old Ona native died Tuesday from a single gunshot wound to the back. It occurred near the 900 block of 27th Street. Family said he had been staying at a cousin's residence in Huntington.

Investigators continued their search for clues Wednesday, as the family mourned and remembered the boy with baby blue eyes.

"I still don't believe it," said Angel Adkins, Jordan's girlfriend of five years. "I'm waiting for him to walk through the door, along with everybody else."

An autopsy Wednesday confirmed Jordan's cause of death, said Huntington Police Capt. Rick Eplin. He and Chief Skip Holbrook said detectives continued to conduct interviews Wednesday. They were close to identifying tentative suspects by midday, Eplin said. There was no firm determination of motive.

"It's all coming together pretty good. They are making good progress," Eplin said.

Detectives hoped to identify two assailants, whom witnesses said fled the scene.

Jordan's mother, Mona, believed she spoke with her son minutes before the would-be fatal shot. The cellular conversation took place about 3:56 p.m.

"He said, 'Mom, I'm in the middle of something,'" she said. "I can't remember the exact words he said, but he said 'I'll call you back.'"

The shooting was Huntington's first homicide this year. The last one occurred Dec. 3, 2008, in a year when city police investigated eight homicides. All but one case ended with an arrest.

Holbrook said violent crime is unpredictable. He credited the community with providing answers, which increased the solvability of prior cases. He hoped for similar assistance in solving Jordan's death.

Jordan is survived by his father, Bobby; mother, Mona; siblings, Christina Jordan Lewis, Bobby M. Jordan Jr., Kattie Marie Coleman Walters; and nephew Cole Coleman.

Mona Jordan described her son as outgoing and loved. He charmed everybody and frequently worked at his father's excavation business.

"I'm still in a state of shock," she said. "I just am without words. You question what God's plan is when he takes your 20-year-old son."

Adkins said she had been dating Jordan off and on, but things were going well, and the couple would occasionally discuss marriage. She remembered her boyfriend as a caring person, who gave fabulous foot massages and thought about others.

The shooting victim was scheduled to appear twice this month in Cabell County Magistrate Court, where records indicate he had misdemeanor domestic battery, driving under the influence, underage consumption, driving on a suspended/revoked license and marijuana possession charges pending.

Jordan's records also included seven earlier misdemeanors. He admitted to disorderly conduct in 2007, but most of the other cases were dismissed.

Adkins and his mother said they believe Jordan's prior history was irrelevant to this week's shooting.

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