Mom of 15-year-old fatally shot at Southfield hotel seeks answers, reward offered
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - The family of a 15-year-old boy who was shot in the head in a hotel room, while staying with other teenagers, is still searching for answers over three months later.
An investigation is still ongoing into the murder of Ferndale teen Tyler Johnson at the Westin Hotel in Southfield on Feb. 11, according to police.
"I don't understand how a sleepover with friends end(ed) up with my son being murdered and no one knows who did it," said the victim's mother, Tomika Alexander, during a news conference on Wednesday. "I can't sleep, I cannot eat, and my son will not rest in peace because justice has not prevailed."
Crime Stoppers is now offering up to $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest in the teen's murder.
"These were supposed to be his friends. And I feel like if these were friends, we shouldn't be here right now fighting for justice for Tyler," Alexander said. "I think parents are telling their kids not to say anything, and so that's a problem for me. That's why all these parents have failed me and my son."
Tyler Johnson, 15, of Ferndale was fatally shot in the head in a hotel room at the Westin Hotel in Southfield on Feb. 11, 2024.
According to police, the teens who were in the room with Johnson at the time of the shooting are not answering investigators' questions, as each witness now has an attorney and is being advised not to talk.
An adult rented a room for five teen boys the night before Johnson's death, and then left the boys unattended in the room.
Further investigation in the hotel room revealed a spent 40 caliber shell casing, 20 live rounds inside a 9mm extended magazine, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, and a scale, according to police.
A teen taken into custody at the time of the shooting was arrested on other charges of carrying concealed weapons, police said in a news release. The suspect was in possession of two handguns the morning of the incident, one of which was stolen.
"I just feel as though this is just being swept under the rug – forgot about," Alexander said. "And it's not going to be forgot about, because this case is not going to go cold as long as I'm here, breathing and living as Tyler's mom."
Johnson died from his injuries after being in critical condition for days after the shooting.
"We ask that members of the public provide our department with any information that may help bring closure to Tyler’s family," according to Southfield police.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-SPEAKUP.
Teen dies after shooting at Southfield hotel
A 15-year-old boy who was shot at a Southfield hotel over the weekend has died, his family and police confirm. The boy was shot in the head at the Westin Hotel.