Mich. Man Loses His Mom and 10-Month-Old Son in Shooting, and 1 Suspect Is Still at Large
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The day after Christmas, a 45-year-old grandmother and her 10-month-old grandson were shot while sleeping inside their Flint, Michigan, home, police confirmed to the website The Flint Journal.
A group of people allegedly drove by and fired about a hundred shots, which struck the two inside the home, TV station NBC25 reported.
Belinda Hart was pronounced dead at the scene. Her grandson, Romelo Jones Jr., was taken in critical condition to a nearby hospital where he later died, the Journal reported.
The boy’s father, Romelo Jones, was devastated and told NBC25 that people need to think about their actions.
“In hard times, you don’t always have to do the first thing that comes to your mind because it left us with this,” he told the station. “It left us with a house that’s shot up. It left us with a kid that’s dead, a woman that’s dead. And everybody loved these people.”
A community vigil was held outside their home on Tuesday, which would have been Jones’ mother’s 46thbirthday.
“She left a mark on everybody. She wouldn’t turn anybody down from coming to her house,” Jones said, according to TV station ABC12. As for his son, he says he will miss his ability to make everyone happy.
“He gave everybody joy,” he said at the vigil. “He made everybody smile.”
Police arrested a suspect but have not released his name. They are searching for another suspect and asking for the public’s help.
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“We need some people from the community that have knowledge or personal information regarding this incident to step in and call and help us,” Flint Police Chief Terence Green said, NBC25 reported. “Don’t look at it as helping the police. Look at it as helping a 10-month-old baby that was murdered and the grandmother.”
Law enforcement believe Saturday’s shooting may have been connected to two other shootings in the area that left two others dead: Curdetruis Keaton-Williams, 23, who was found shot to death outside a residence; and Naomi Anthony, 25, who was found shot to death in a field at Hasselbring Park, The Flint Journal reported.
The city’s mayor, Sheldon Neeley, released a statement Saturday about the four deaths.
“I am mourning today the loss of four lives to violence in our community. These deaths are devastating and incomprehensible, especially when innocent lives are lost,” Neeley said, according to the Journal. “Flint police are continuing their investigations and have identified at least one suspect. I pray for justice for the victims, healing for their families, and peace for our community.”
Anyone with information about this crime should contact Detective Victoria Lambaria at 810-237-6971. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-422-JAIL.
