City of Houston on pace to have 500 homicides this year

HOUSTON - Marnita Hinton tells FOX 26 that she is part of a club she would rather not be in. Hinton is one of hundreds of families who’ve lost a loved one in Houston due to homicide.

Her son, 35-year-old Christopher Mena, was shot and killed while in his car in a Walgreens parking lot on Nov. 14, 2020.

"When they pulled him out of the Jeep and put him in the body bag, I didn’t want to believe it," said Hinton. "I kept denying it."

Right now, the city’s murder rate is climbing from 409 homicides last year, and the city is on pace to have 500 this year.

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According to the Houston Chronicle, Houston Police Department’s homicide clearance rates is drastically dropping.

Back in 2011, the solvability rate was 89%. In November of 2020, when Hinton’s son was killed, the rate had dropped to 49%.

"We’re going to get these crime stats down, I'm sure of that," said Houston Police Chief, Troy Finner.

The new police chief, Troy Finner, told FOX 26, he is working to create better policing relationships within the communities. He says, this will play a big role.

"I want all parts of our police department to reflect our community," said Finner. "How can we serve people if we don’t hear them?"

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For moms like Marnita, she tirelessly works every day to find who killed her son by seeking the help of the public to find that bit of information that could lead to an arrest.

"I feel that if we get more police officers, that are honest, who will be more trustworthy and will do their job, it will be better," said Hinton.

If you know any information about the death of Christopher Mena, please contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, charging and/or arrest of the suspect in this case.