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People We've Lost: Indianapolis mother pushes for justice for son's death 'He deserves some answers'

Derrell Brown
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INDIANAPOLIS — Friday marks 382 days for Denise Bonds without her son, De’rell Brown. The 25-year-old was shot and killed in his Indianapolis east side apartment complex parking lot last January.

“He deserves some answers,” Bonds said on trying to get justice for her son.

De’rell — or “Rell Rell” as his family calls him — was a father, army veteran and standout football star at Lawrence North High School.

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Bonds said every day she hopes the person or persons who killed her son are caught. Not only is she fighting to get her son justice, but she’s also fighting her own health battle.

In November, Bonds started chemotherapy for breast cancer. In the coming weeks, she’ll undergo surgery.

While her health battle has taken some of her strength, Bonds said she won’t stop fighting for her son. She continues to ask the community: if someone knows something about her son’s murder to speak up and speak out.

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“I just pray that who’s killing these young people that they get caught. I don’t want no street justice, I want them to get caught and I want them to go to prison,” Bonds said. She continued, “I want them to think every day that they’re in prison the devastation you caused. What do you think about that? That this family will never see their loved ones, you will see yours. You will see your kids grow up, they won’t. So I want them to really think about what they're doing when they get these guns.

IMPD continues to investigate this case. If you would like to submit a tip, you can call IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana by calling 317-262-8477.

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