HOUSTON -- Houston police say they followed procedure when investigating an east Houston murder, but the victim's family says police bungled the case. They claim that as a result, the killer could get away.
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Family claims HPD bungled murder case
July 14, 2009
The family says officers were not doing their job. They claim evidence was compromised in the murder investigation.
"We believe they came in and saw that the victim of the home invasion was a young African American male, and also the perpetrators were young African males, according to the descriptions, and they just didn't give a damn," said community activist Quanell X.
The victim was 36-year-old Lamont Malone.
Police say four or five men forced their way inside his apartment, shot him multiple times and robbed him.
Malone was discovered by police who were called to the scene, but he died the next day.
"I think someone should have preserved the crime scene. It should have been investigated that night. It should have never been left open and I feel they did not do their job," said the victim's sister, Keisha Tyler.
Malone's family and friends say police didn't really start investigating until several days after the shooting.
They say that shell casings were actually collected by the apartment manager and that witnesses were not interviewed the day of the shooting.
"I have a degree in criminal justice and I kind of know the protocol. I have never seen anything sloppy like this in my life," said the victim's fiance Shaquasja Johnson.
Malone's friends say the apartment should have been sealed off, instead the door was reportedly left wide open.
Phillip McGriff, who is a friend of the family's, decided to shoot crime scene video on his cell phone just hours after the shooting.
"As the police never contacted anyone from the family at the hospital, I just decided to start collecting some evidence myself because nothing was being done," said McGrill.
Lamont Malone's friends and family say they've been doing the real detective work, but still no arrests have been made in this murder.
A HPD spokeswoman says that officers did collect evidence and did conduct a preliminary investigation the morning of the shooting.
HPD also claims procedures were followed properly.
