Gun violence town hall held in Houston as mother of murdered child speaks out
HOUSTON - As gun violence increases across the country, a gun violence town hall was held in Houston, giving residents a chance to air out their concerns.
With the increased number of shooting incidents, HPD Chief Troy Finner says the information will be studied for years to come.
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"During this COVID pandemic and after; we’re going to have criminologists studying this for years," says Finner. "When we see those hot spots where violent crime is picking up, we look at them daily. "
Finner went over the number of shootings in Houston year-to-date, there have been roughly 790 shootings and 244 deaths.
"There is a heavy burden on my heart to know there is a man running free that killed my daughter," says Kristena Watters, mother of 5-year-old Khamaya Donelson, who was shot in a drive-by shooting early July.
Police are still looking for the suspect(s) involved in Khamaya’s death. She was in the back seat of her mother’s car, on their way to get dinner, when they were caught in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Northborough Drive and Rushcreek Drive in North Houston almost three weeks ago.
"I heard the bullet hit my car," says Watters. "I think when my heart stopped, that’s when my baby girl's heart stopped."
Watters says her little girl was shot in the face, her 8-year-old son, was shot in the arm.
"She deserves to be flying with angels and riding unicorns, because that’s the life she believed," said Watters. "She really had a huge heart. I think her heart was bigger than her body."
Watters says she never thought she would be caught in a shooting, and now lives her life honoring her daughter.
"I'm not doing well at all, especially because I just said my last goodbyes to my daughter yesterday," said Watters. "Burying a child is not something you should have to do."
HPD homicide detectives are looking for a suspect or suspects in a silver or gray 1999 Honda Accord, believed responsible for the fatal shooting of Donelson.
If you have any information, you can contact Houston Police Department Homicide at (713) 308-3600 or Houston Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.