Family seeks answers in murder of honor student with bright future

(WJBK) - An honor roll student with a passion for robotics gunned down just days before Christmas and now two months later, his killer is still walking the streets. His family hopes you will come forward and help get justice for Damond Carpenter.

"It's not a good feeling to lose a child. It's not,” said Melinda Carpenter.

It's a haunting feeling that Melinda has had for two months now. Her 18-year-old son was killed just three days before Christmas. It was close to 6 p.m., he was on his way with two others to Eastland Mall to finish some holiday shopping.

"He went out to go Christmas shopping for his cousin because he felt like he has been there for him a lot and he wanted to say thank you," said his cousin Shavonne Lockhart.

It was a thank you he was never able to deliver - Damond never made it to the mall. The Madison Heights high school graduate was at the Eastland Court apartment complex on Cadieux when someone shot Damond and two of his friends. They were hurt, they recovered. Damond was killed. There has been no sign of the gunman since.

"Please, please, speak up because this is not a good feeling. It's not. I don't rest and I'm not going to rest until my baby's killer gets arrested," Melinda said.

There's a $2,500 reward for the anonymous tip that leads to an arrest. CrimeStoppers of Michigan is throwing in an extra $1,000 if the tip comes in by tonight.

But this family friend will tell you, it isn't about the cash - it's about justice.

"We need to solve this crime, money or not. If you know anything, please call. Do this for the family," said family friend Wayne Reif.

He remembers a lot about the Western Michigan University engineering student, a robotic whiz, in high school-football, track student of the year, and a young man who spent spring break with Wayne's church.

"He spent his entire spring break moving a wheelbarrow full of dirt and gravel so that the group could put up a privacy fence at a home for abused women and children. That's exactly what I would expect of him," Reif said.