CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) - Chesterfield detectives are no longer going door to door to find out who fired a bullet in the air that struck and killed seven-year-old Brendon Mackey. Mackey died while he walked to see a July 4 fireworks show with his father.
Though the door to door part of the investigation is done, police said the case is far from over. Detectives met with members of the media Tuesday to talk about where things go from here.
Chesterfield Police Lt. Randy Horowitz said for nearly two months detectives canvassed neighborhoods near Sunday Park where Brendon was killed. Detectives knocked on the doors of 2,000 homes. Mackey’s mom said she was very grateful for the investigators' work.
“Everybody is hurting right now," Marie Harris added.
She said as days go by, she doesn’t know what to do or how to cope with the immense pain. Harris and her family remained desperate for answers about who fired the shot.
"You just replay over in your head the last thing you said to him, or what you did with him. I think if I knew this would happen could I have made those seven years better?" Harris asked as she wiped tears from her eyes.
It has been nearly two months and to no avail, detectives have canvassed the area 13 times.
“They’ve done their job completely. It’s nothing left to do. It’s a needle in a haystack," she said.
Detectives said they will continue following up on the more than two dozen leads that have come in.
They hope a newly established fund set up at BB&T bank will raise money for a reward in this case.
Brendon’s mom said she’s just hoping one day she’ll see someone come forward and take responsibility. She said she does not want to see someone get punished, but rather to raise awareness about this kind of tragedy.
“That’s mostly the reason. Not for him to spend years in prison, but I want to bring awareness so this doesn't happen to anyone else's kid.” she explained.
Detectives said during the investigation they’ve looked at 26 guns. Of those, six were sent to the state crime lab for analysis. Investigators point out all of the guns were voluntarily turned over to them by people in the community. One gun has been tested and eliminated as the weapon in question.
Detectives said they’re still waiting on lab results from the other five guns.
If you have information that can help police, you are urged to call Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660.
