MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - The mother of a teenager who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting outside a Miramar apartment complex announced an increase in the reward to $100,000 for information on her son’s killer as she held his ashes during a news conference.
Omorose Butler, the mother of 17-year-old Mendell Butler-Lebel, was emotional as she announced the increase of the reward Tuesday. Both her and police hope the massive reward available for the right tip will give investigators the break they need to find her son’s killer.
“This is my baby. My healthy 7 pound, 5.6 ounce baby is in a box,” she said as she placed her hand on top of a box that holds his ashes. “I honestly can’t focus on anything but getting these people apprehended, and what I want people to understand is that there is no closure in this. We live and breathe this every single day.”
Miramar Police said the 17-year-old was gunned down in a drive-by shooting at an apartment complex along the 3100 block of Foxcroft Road on July 2, 2018. The shooting also left two others injured.
Police have released an image of a getaway car, a silver four-door vehicle with dark tinted windows but said what they really want to know is who was inside.
“The last words that he mouthed were, ‘Mom, please help,'” Butler said days after the incident. “If you know something, please help and say something.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that multiple people know what exactly happened,” Miramar Police detective Joe Tomlin said, “and with this additional reward money, which was an incredible sacrifice by Mendell’s mother and family, that this should help with some information that could be proof. It’s almost been two years, which is way too long.”
The increase in the reward comes after Butler’s family helped contribute to it.
“My family so graciously putting up their retirement, Mendell’s grandparents,” Butler said.
For Butler, finding those responsible has been her priority for nearly two years and simply cannot move on.
“This is what I want people to see,” Butler said as she put her hand on her son’s ashes. “This is what our children are being reduced to. They are not getting the opportunity to grow up and live out their dreams. They are being stolen from us.”
If you have any information on this homicide, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for the reward.
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