A Houston mother is once again facing every parent’s worst nightmare after losing her second son to gun violence.
Shamarilyn York is grieving the death of her 39-year-old son, Sean Bree, who was shot and killed at his workplace on June 6 in the 10000 block of Belknap Road.
What makes her grief even more unbearable is that this is not the first time she has had to endure this kind of loss. Twenty-two years ago, her oldest son was also killed by gun violence in Houston, the same year he graduated.
“No parent should have to bury a child, and now I have to bury my second,” York said.
According to York, her son had gotten into a fight with a coworker earlier in the day. She believes that the coworker later came back to the job site with deadly intentions.
Bree was on the phone with a friend when the man allegedly walked up and threatened him. Bree’s response was calm. “Go on, nobody has time for that,” he reportedly said. Those were his last words before he was shot.
York said no one should have to leave for work and never come home.
“Who thinks they get up and go to work and they’re going to die?” she asked.
A Family Still Processing the Unthinkable
The shooting has shattered Bree’s entire family. His younger brother, Robert Hayden, is still struggling to make sense of the loss. Hayden said the image of seeing his brother in the hospital after the shooting is something he cannot shake.
“I think about when I was in the hospital and had to walk into that room and look at my brother. His head was wrapped in bandages. The right side of his face was covered up,” Hayden said. “Now it’s another one.”
For York, the pain of losing two sons to the same kind of senseless violence in the same city is something no words can fully describe. She is not staying silent, though. She is calling on investigators to act quickly and deliver the justice her son deserves. “Do what they need to do. Get this going so we can get the people who killed my son,” she said.
Police Seek Two Persons of Interest
Houston Police Department detectives want to speak with two individuals in connection with the fatal shooting. The persons of interest have been identified as Iddris Umaru, 23, and Axzey Mojica, 22.
Surveillance cameras reportedly captured both individuals fleeing the scene following the shooting at 10055 Belknap Road on June 6.
HPD Homicide detectives are asking anyone who knows the whereabouts of Umaru or Mojica to call 713-308-3600. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers Houston. The family is holding onto hope that someone in the community will come forward with information that brings them closer to closure.
