BRADENTON, FL -- For some people, the dentist's office is not the most inviting place. But at Manatee Dental, patients could count on 33-year-old William "Will" Holley to somehow make them smile.
Office Manager Tina Viera knew Holley for a decade. "They trusted him. He would just make them feel so comfortable and we had fun," she said. "In a dental office, that doesn't happen. We had fun because of Will."
Employees mustered the strength to be back at work Monday, just two days after their beloved co-worker was gunned down.
The Sarasota High School Graduate was born in Queens, New York, but grew up in New Town, the same Sarasota neighborhood where police say he witnessed several people beating up and robbing a man on Saturday. Detectives say the crooks confronted Will when he drove by, then shot at his car, ending his life.
"You just wonder how certain people can have just such a blatant disregard for life," said Dr. Dennis Corona.
Dr. Corona first met Will "the intern" a decade ago. Will worked his way up, and became Lead Dental Assistant; someone Dr. Corona loved like his own son.
"He wasn't just an employee," Dr. Corona said. "It was almost as if he was an integral part of the practice."
Without Will, the mood at the office is somber. But his great smile and dedication to dentistry are reasons why everyone found the strength to come back to work.
"Because that's what I think what he would've wanted us to do," Dr. Corona said.
Will's brother told ABC Action News.com the 33-year-old man wanted to be a dentist since he was a child.
Dr. Corona and his staff are trying to figure out how to start up a scholarship fund in Will's name that would help underprivileged students study dentistry.
Meanwhile, Sarasota police say they've questioned seven people of interest, but have not yet named a murder.
Anyone with information is urged to call Sarasota Crimestoppers at (941) 366-TIPS.
