Four years after 4-year-old Cornelius Carrington was killed in a drive-by shooting on December 17, 2021, his family is still doing what Lubbock families shouldn’t have to do: begging the public for basic human decency and information. On the anniversary, they gathered for a balloon release to honor him and to remind everyone that Cornelius should be 8 now—going to school, playing sports, and being a kid instead of a case number.
They’ve been blunt about what this has done to them. Cornelius loved Christmas, but since he was killed, the holiday has been wrecked—one family member said their kids didn’t even celebrate Christmas for years, and this year was the first time they put up a tree in four years. They’re not just asking for “justice” in the slogan-y way we like to say it on social media; they’re asking for accountability because it’s the only thing that even resembles healing.
And here’s the part that makes the whole thing feel especially Lubbock: this hasn’t been treated as some unknowable mystery. Back in 2023, court documents and a search warrant suggested investigators believed the shooting was retaliation connected to another death, and that multiple tips pointed to a person of interest. The warrant described that the person of interest admitted following Cornelius’ father around a store about 30 minutes before the shooting—yet phone location data didn’t place him near the scene at the time. The warrant also named two additional suspects who were already in the Lubbock County Detention Center on unrelated charges, but they still hadn’t been charged in Cornelius’ murder. Meanwhile, police said the case remained active and they needed that last “puzzle piece” from the community—something solid enough for probable cause, not just third-hand talk.
So, once again, we’re here: a family pleading for someone to call Lubbock Crime Line at 806-741-1000—with anonymity available, and at one point even a reward up to $15,000—because apparently in this town, we can always find the time to know exactly what happened, but not enough spine to say it out loud.
Cornelius was four. It’s been four years. How is the loudest thing in this case still the silence?