A man has been charged with a crime connected to the shooting death of a teenage girl in Aldine Tuesday.
Lewis Orlando Tejada, 18, has been charged with tampering with evidence following the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Hailey Toledo.
Toledo was killed in a car on Gulf Bank Road in Aldine, where she was with her boyfriend and two other males. The incident occurred just before 3 a.m. yesterday.
OUR FIRST REPORT: 16-year-old girl found shot to death inside car in north Houston
Hailey’s mother, heartbroken and seeking answers, shared her daughter’s story with KPRC 2’s Joy Addison.
She described Hailey as a sweet girl who began to change after starting high school. Despite her efforts to guide Hailey away from a dangerous path, including homeschooling her and urging her to stay away from her boyfriend, Hailey ran away with him twice.
“Her attitude, her, you know, the way that she thought,” her mother said. “You know, us as parents, we tried to tell her, you know, what’s good and what’s wrong. And sometimes teenagers take things the wrong way.”
The last time Hailey’s mother saw her was a few days before the shooting.
KPRC 2’s Joy Addison: When was the last time you had seen her before this happened?
Hailey’s mother: Long couple days ago. Probably like on Friday.
Hailey’s mother emphasized the importance of listening to parents, who genuinely care and want the best for their children. She believes more support from police and schools in addressing Hailey’s rebellious behavior might have prevented this tragedy.
“Listen to your parents,” she said. “Because [they are] the only people that really love you, that really care about you and want to be there for you. Nobody else. Your friends are not going to be there when something bad happens to you. Nobody is going to care for you more than your parents and your family.”
The person arrested for tampering with evidence was not Hailey’s boyfriend. Hailey’s mother continues to advocate for better communication and intervention to help teens in similar situations.
She has also set up a GoFundMe to help cover Hailey’s memorial expenses, which can be found here.