'It was not fair,' Loved ones of Houston man shot, killed by bounty hunters want them arrested

HOUSTON - A family is demanding justice after their loved one was shot and killed by bounty hunters late February in Fifth Ward. 

They were joined by several activists Tuesday, along with Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump chanting "Justice for Walter" on the courthouse steps of downtown Houston.

BACKGROUND: HPD: Man injured in exchange of gunfire with bounty hunters in NE Houston

Surveillance video shows what loved ones and Mr. Crump say is Walter Hutchins, 31, being murdered by the bounty hunters who were hired to arrest him for bond forfeiture. 

"Even if you categorize them as bounty hunters they can’t be the judge, the jury, and the executioner," says Crump. "They on the spot judged him, decided his verdict, and determined his death sentence in a matter of seconds." 

The video shows Hutchins leaving a Fifth Ward barbershop last Wednesday night, then you see his car being blocked in by two SUVs and two bounty hunters jumping out with guns and within five seconds Hutchins is shot and killed. 

MORE: 'It was a real ambush:' Family of man killed by bounty hunters in Houston's Fifth Ward speak out

Hutchins' mother Marilyn Lewis says she had no idea the night before her son was killed when he took her to dinner that would be her final time seeing him. 

"That was the last time I saw my son," she explained. "Hugged him, kissed him as we said our final goodbyes." 

Additional loved ones tell FOX 26 how distraught they were after learning of Hutchins' death, especially his girlfriend, who says their child will be forced to grow up without his father. 

"Every time I look at [our son,] he looks just like his father," his girlfriend Candice Johnson says, as she holds their infant son in her arms. "He embodies his dad. It was not fair. It wasn’t right. It’s not OK to just takes someone’s father away from them this way." 

"They took a big chunk out of our hearts," cries Hutchins’ Aunt Emma Johnson. "They took a big chunk out of our community. Walter did not deserve to die. They murdered my nephew."

Attorneys for the family point out, the bounty hunters initially told officers Hutchins fired first but the video shows otherwise. 

"The reason they (the bounty hunters) sat there for six hours, and they surveilled him instead of calling the Houston Police Department and inviting them to arrest Walter is because their bounty was contingent upon them doing the arrest," says the family’s Attorney Bob Hilliard. "What’s going to be interesting to find out does the bounty cover whether you bring him in dead or alive?" 

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The Houston Police Department says while no one has been arrested at this point, an investigation remains underway. 

Meanwhile, the family is holding a balloon release and candlelight vigil at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday on Liberty Road, where the 31-year-old was shot to death.

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