Colorado teen finds support in community after family killed

A Colorado teenager is finding support and family within his community after his parents and little brother were taken too soon in a heartbreaking act of violence. Now, that community is making sure he isn't navigating his way through life alone.

They were the three most important people to 19-year-old Anze Nelimark.

"I love them and I think about them every day," said Anze.

His mother, May, was the life of the party.

"She was always the best friend I had in life," he said.

His father, David, instilled in him a love for hockey at a young age.

He was just one of the smartest men I knew," said Anze.

Anze's 13-year-old little brother, Asher, had a big spirit and was one of the funniest people he knew.

"[He was] really small for a football player, but he was a dog. He was a dog of a kid, and I just love him so much," said Anze.

Anze never could've imagined that when he left for work on May 22, it would be the last time he would see his family alive.

They were killed by another family member, who then took their own life inside their Thornton home.

"I cried, denied it," he said. "[I'm] still heavy on emotions, obviously, but [also] heavy on the shock."

Nearly a month after experiencing such an unimaginable loss, Anze has gained a village of family, strangers, and people within the hockey community.

Together, they are now helping this young man navigate through his next steps in going to college, while coping with his new normal.

"[It] just means the world to me, just means the world to me," he said.

Among those stepping up to help Anze are members of DAWG Nation Hockey Foundation, an organization that's been helping families and loved ones within the hockey community here in Colorado.

Right now, they're hoping to raise enough money to get Anze through his first year in college.

"I mean, what can I say? I had a nice, beautiful family, but I have a way bigger family too, with everyone. I just have so much support around me, not just from my family in general, but all the people here at the rink and just wherever I met people along the way," said Anze.

He says he doesn't know all the details as to why this happened, but encourages others to check on the mental health of their loved ones and always be grateful for the people in their lives.

"Just remind them that you love them every day, because you never know," he said.