13-year-old shot to death 7 years after his dad was murdered, and HPD says both cases are unsolved

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Tragedy has struck the Hardeway family twice in less than a decade with the murder of a father and now his son.

Justin Hardeway Jr. was shot and killed on July 11 just before 1 a.m. in the 8500 block of Broadway Street on Houston's southeast side.

The 13-year-old's cousin, Tyrone Willis, said the apartment he was in that night was not where he lived. The Houston Police Department said someone fired several shots into the apartment where Justin was staying. The gunfire struck the teenager who was in bed.

The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office notes that the boy died from gunshot wounds to the head and neck.

"We're just stunned and at a loss for words," Willis said.

At the time, police said the shooting appeared to be targeted, but Willis disputes this.

"Justin Hardeway Jr. was not a target," Willis explained. "He was just caught in the crossfire and was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Seven years before his death, Justin's father was murdered in the Greenspoint area.

In May 2017, police said residents heard gunshots in the area and found the 31-year-old victim, Justin Hardeway Sr., in the breezeway of an apartment complex. Police have arrested no one in the older Hardeway's death.

"It was another tragic way to die, and we're really at a loss for words at this point because his son died the same way as his father," Willis said.

Investigators ask anyone with information on either case to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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