Doting father Adam Chadwick was murdered by a gun gang in mistake for their real target, leaving the tears of a toddler in their wake.
The killing deprived daughter Ruby of her socccer-mad dad just a day after she turned three.
Now she plaintively asks "Where's my daddy?"
And all Adam's parents can do to explain the inexplicable is to say: "He's gone to heaven."
Adam, 20, was shot dead when three masked men and a woman burst into his sister's home.
Police later confirmed the killers, who are still being hunted, targeted the wrong person in the wrong house at the wrong time.
Adam's parents Jackie, 46, and Martin, 47, have now gathered together a collection of mementoes to keep his memory alive for his daughter.
They include a series of pictures of their son - then a teenage Leeds ballboy - with stars including David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer and Harry Kewell.
Jackie said: "We've got a lock of his hair and his fingerprints in a frame as well as records of all his school achievements, pictures of him with his sporting heroes and all his football trophies.
"There are also loads of pictures of Adam with Ruby so she can see how much he loved her.
"She's been told Daddy has gone to heaven. But she's so young she probably expects him to come back.
"Adam died two days after being shot when his life support was turned off. We took a picture of him before he died.
"He looked as if he was asleep. We'll put it at the end of Ruby's photo album so that when she's ready, she can understand what happened. It's heartbreaking to think she'll never have another birthday with her dad."
Soccer-mad Adam practically gave up the sport after his daughter was born. He wanted to spend his weekends with her after splitting from Ruby's mum, Hayley, 20. The couple had vowed to stay good friends.
Caretaker Martin, of Leeds, said: "When Ruby was born, Adam turned overnight from a boy to a man. He was a natural father, always cuddling her and spoiling her rotten.
"He could have had a promising career as a footballer but his daughter always came first."
Pleading for those with information to come forward, Martin added: "It could have been anyone that night, but it happened to be our son.
"I don't know how to fix this country. But everyone - children, parents, teachers, police, judges and government - needs to pull together to end these killings."
Carpet fitter Adam, of Seacroft, Leeds, arranged a party for Ruby the Saturday before her birthday because on the big day he was in London. It was the last time the family were all together.
Three days later - on June 24 - he returned to Leeds and visited his sister Gemma, 23, at her home in the city's Harehill district. The gang burst into the house at 10.30pm.