HOUSTON — A Houston mother is sharing memories of her teenage son who was shot and killed last weekend after a birthday party.
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“Just call me one more time," Desiree Stewart said. "I just want to talk to you one more time.”
Stewart said she and her 17-year-old son, Robert "Duke" Butler, would talk on the phone constantly.
"He was a good kid," Stewart said. "Everybody loved Duke.”
She’s now explaining to his younger siblings, like 6-year-old Melanie, why they’ll never speak again.
“I had to tell her, 'you can’t call Duke, Duke’s not here no more,'” Stewart said.
Duke was killed early Sunday morning during a shooting at a business complex parking lot near the Beltway and 288. Three other teens were also shot.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigators said multiple people fired weapons into a crowd of 75 to 100. Most had attended a birthday party inside a production studio and event venue.
"This was his last picture," Stewart said as she pointed to her phone. "He said, “mama, I’m going to put this on.”
Stewart said Duke always got outfit advice from her. She also shared a photo of Duke taken minutes before shots were fired.
"Put the guns down," Stewart said. "It’s too many lives. Now it’s my son ... my child.”
Stewart, who works in a hospital ICU, said she got to Ben Taub just as Duke arrived.
"He tried to sit up and he fell back down," Stewart said. "He threw his leg and arm over and they told me he was taking his last breath.”
Stewart is being comforted by family and some of Duke’s closest friends. She said she hopes no other young life ends so senselessly.
HCSO said another 17-year-old victim was released from the hospital and charged with an unrelated aggravated robbery. In the meantime, a third 17-year-old male remains in critical condition. A 14-year-old girl was treated and released.
Call HCSO or Crime-Stoppers if you have any information about the shooting.