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Deadly shooting still unsolved two years later
Ken Suarez reports
LAKELAND, Fla. - The last two years have seemed like an eternity for the Lamones' family. They were the target of a shooting back on Christmas Eve in 2020, and it took the life of one family member and injured three others.
"It is still unreal. It seems like a movie," Shawanda Lamones told FOX 13. "An innocent person’s life was taken away for no reason."
It started when Lamones’ teen son went to Simpson Park to buy an iPhone, but instead, he was held up at gunpoint. After he called his mom to say he was in trouble, she showed up with her own gun, and took a gun from another teen.
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"My son begins to tell me, he is part of a gang, and they’re going to try to come back to get revenge," she recounted.
Minutes later, several vehicles showed up at their home, and bullets started flying.
Shawanda Lamones was shot as well as her 13-year-old daughter and husband. Her 70-year-old mother Maebelle Cooper was killed.
"There is that big hole there, knowing that you can’t call her. She can’t call you. You can’t spend time with her," said Cooper’s other daughter Katrina McClain.
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The Lakeland Police Department were looking at to potential suspects, but two years later, they have not made any arrests.
In a written statement, the department said the case is still an open investigation, and they are following up several leads. They did not confirm or deny that the shooting was gang-related.
Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.