Reward offered for tips in Midtown fatal shooting
It’s been nearly three months since De’Vante Hogan was slain in Midtown, and as the void widens, so do his family’s questions about why he was shot.
“You can tell a part of us is gone,” said his father, Lemar Manassa. “We miss him a lot. It’s hard for everybody. He was such a family-oriented person.”
The 23-year-old’s family and local authorities are working to find the person who shot him about 3:10 a.m. Jan. 8 near Second and West Canfield in Detroit.
On Thursday, Crime Stoppers of Michigan announced a $2,500 reward for tips leading to an arrest. The amount climbs to $3,500 if the group receives information by midnight.
Hogan’s loved ones hope the payout entices someone to step forward and offer answers that have so far eluded them.
“I’m sure someone saw enough to lead us in the right direction,” his father said Thursday night. “It just doesn’t make sense for no one to speak up at all.”
The night of his death, Hogan, of Grosse Pointe, was leaving La Hookah Town with a friend when a man in a green jacket and carrying a weapon approached, sparking an altercation, Detroit police said.
That person then reportedly fired shots at the aspiring veterinarian who worked two jobs. Bystanders rushed to render aid, but Hogan was pronounced dead at Detroit Receiving Hospital within hours.
Authorities have released surveillance images showing a white, four-door Chevrolet Impala SS connected to the incident as well as someone they described as a person of interest.
Police are continuing to investigate the death, said Officer Dan Donakowski, a spokesman for the department, Thursday night.
Hogan’s family, meanwhile, wants to keep the case in the public eye. They plan to hold a vigil on the eighth day of each month “until we get some type of justice,” his father said. “If people don’t start speaking up, things will never change. These things will just keep happening — not just to my family, anybody’s family.”
Anyone with information can anonymously reach Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-SPEAK-UP, going to www.1800speakup.org or texting CSM and tips to 274637.
The Detroit Police Department accepts tips at (313) 596-1616 or through the DPD Connect app.