LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – One year later and the family of a murdered 77-year-old Lansing man does not have any answers about his death.
It was the night of Aug. 19, 2022, when the Gonzales family was shaken by the sounds of gunfire. Several bullets tore through the house shattering the windows along with the family’s peace of mind.
Esperanza Gonzales is the daughter-in-law of 77-year-old Abel Gonzales. She remembers him going to his bedroom after putting her kids to bed and then shots ripped through the house, hitting her grandfather. “I went downstairs to check on Grandpa and make sure he was ok,” Gonzalez told 6 News. “That’s when I got shocked seeing him sitting over the edge of his bed, and he was just sitting there.”
Abel’s wife, Rosa, followed the shouts coming from the bedroom. “When I turned the corner and I saw the blood on the bed. And I got frozen,” Rosa said. “I couldn’t touch him or nothing. I was telling him get up Abel, please get up.”
Lansing police say officers responded to the reports of shots fired at 11:28 p.m. on the 1100 block of Camp Street, off of Cesar Chavez Ave. Police found Gonzales wounded and tried to save him, but he later died.
Healing is a slow and frustrating process for the Gonzales family. “Every day I think about him, every day,” his wife Rosa said.
Police have not made an arrest and investigators say they understand the family’s concern, but added they can’t share details of an open investigation.
Investigators say neighbors and community members could hold the key to solving this crime. The family said they have no clue why someone picked their home that night and hope a year later, someone speaks up to end this nightmare.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Lansing Police Department.
