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Mother of 22-year-old man killed in SF 5 years ago desperate for answers
A 22-year-old man was shot and killed in San Francisco's Oceanview neighborhood almost five years ago. San Francisco police investigators believe there are many people involved in his death, but the trail has gone cold.
SAN FRANCISCO - It was five years ago this week that Keron Lamotte called his mother while she was in the kitchen.
"He asked me what I was doing. I told him I was cooking. He said he was coming over. My child never made it there," said Pecola Jones.
On Oct. 7, 2016, Lamotte was shot and killed near Plymouth Avenue and Broad Street in San Francisco’s Oceanview neighborhood. A second man was wounded.
Lamotte was 22 - and Jones’ only child.
"From my understanding, he was hit multiple times with multiple gunshot wounds. He was ambushed," Jones said.
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When he was shot, Lamotte was checking out an artist painting a mural near a barber shop at the corner.
"Watching this mural was what he was doing, and in the process I believe they possumed up behind him and took him out," Jones said
"We do know he was present while the mural was being painted right before the shooting occurred," said Officer Adam Lobsinger, a San Francisco police spokesman.
Investigators have followed a number of leads since that fateful day five years ago. But Lobsinger said the trail has gone cold.
It was a chaotic scene with suspects – and witnesses – scattering.
"People did report multiple people running from the scene, vehicles fleeing the scene following the shooting, so we know that somebody knows something out there. That’s why we need people to come forward," Lobsinger said.
Police say they believe more than one person may be involved.
"We do believe that there are multiple suspects in this case, but we don’t know for sure. We don’t have – nobody’s come forward yet who actually witnessed the shooting," he said.
The corner of Plymouth and Broad, no stranger to violence over the years. Surveillance cameras were installed at the intersection after an unrelated homicide, too late for Lamotte and his mother.
"Keron was a lovely person. He enjoyed sports. He loved fashion. He loved people Jones said.
She said it’s unfair that her son’s life was cut short too soon.
"He was a family-oriented person. He had goals. He had dreams. And he definitely was trying to achieve them," she said
Over the years, Jones has stopped by the spot where her son was gunned down.. She’s been joined by police. Billboards have been put up. But so far, there’s been no movement.
It’s painful, but Jones said she wants to keep what happened in the public eye.
"It’s a never-ending thing, and I’m going to keep fighting until I have justice for my child," Jones said.
She says justice will prevail, perhaps with the help of a financial incentive. A reward for tips has since grown to $100,000.
"I know somebody out there knows something, and my child didn’t deserve to die the way he did," she said.
Besides any arrests, Jones has another wish.
"I would like Keron’s face to go up on this mural," she said, gazing at the artwork.