HOUSTON – Friends and family are gathering Tuesday morning to remember Delindsey Mack, the 18-year-old Lamar High School student who was gunned down near campus one week ago.
The funeral service was held Tuesday at the Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church at 11 a.m. and is open to the public.
A family spokesperson said Monday there was heightened security both at the funeral and on the way to the cemetery.
A Houston police helicopter hovered above and officers patrolled on the ground as mourners gathered.
"It's a tragedy what happened, you know. And we all need to, as (Mack's father) said, wake up and watch the social media pages of our children or we'll end up where he is today," family friend Duchon Lewis said. "That somebody take heed and pays attention to it. And everybody else learns from it. That's what needs to be taken from it."
"He was a good kid. Good young man. It's just something tragic that happened. And I just want for everybody to sit down and just take this into note. That could be your kid," family friend Mark Nelson said. "Everybody needs to get together, grab hold of your kids, tell them they love them. And we all just need to get on one accord, one page, to make it better for our kids in our community."
The family is asking that any donations be made to the Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church and to keep them in their prayers.
One mourner said social media helped her find her grandson’s killer. Jan Williams said she hoped for the same for Mack’s family.
"I'm hoping that whoever is out there, will bring to law enforcement's attention, any type of evidence that could bring these criminals to justice," Williams said.
Mack was shot execution-style on Nov. 13 while walking on Bammel Lane with another student -- a 15-year-old girl who was grazed by a bullet -- in what police called a gang-related incident.
Mack's father broke the family's silence Monday to address what they said are misconceptions about their son.
The family’s spokesperson, senior pastor of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church Dr. D.Z. Cofield, said in a news conference Monday that Mack was portraying himself as a “bedroom gangster.”
VIDEO: Father of slain Lamar student warns others about social media
“(His father) has guns for his own protection. He has a business that is a large cash business so Delindsey would post a picture of (himself) holding a bunch of cash with a gun -- and would imply somehow that he is involved in some kind of illegal activity,” Cofield said.
Cofield spoke about how Mack was just like any other teen who was a lot of talk, but he wasn’t who he portrayed himself to be and that cost him his life.
“We’re not saying it’s not gang-related,” Cofield said. “What we’re saying is Delindsey portrayed himself as a gang member, commented on some gang activity and things that were posted so he got linked into it. And because he was a talker, there is some direct messaging that went forth in terms of, ‘Who do you think you are? Who do you think you are? I’m not scared of you. I’m not scared of you,’ not understanding that there are people out there who play for life and death.”
Dwight Mack, Delindsey Mack’s father, spoke briefly, warning parents to pay attention to their kids’ social media. He said the family never realized Delindsey Mack had any social media accounts until after his murder.
“When our kids are at home … no matter where they are they have phones,” Dwight Mack said. “If you don’t get into your kids’ social media pages you’ll be where I am. It’s sad that someone can create a persona on social media to make someone hate them that bad. It used to be a time in my day that someone had to do something to a person physically or to their parents, or to their sisters, or to their brothers. These are simple words and pictures that have brought this to this point.”
Delindsey Mack had been homeschooled for two years prior to transferring to Lamar High School in 2018 and was getting picked up from campus when the shooting happened. Dwight Mack said he believes whoever killed his son found out he was attending Lamar because he was seen in news footage leaving the campus following a murder-suicide.
Police are still investigating the shooting. Anyone with information is being asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.