INGLEWOOD, CALIF - Inglewood Mayor James Butts at a news conference Monday with the family of Fredrick Martin asking the public for help in solving the case of the murder of Martin and announcing a $10,000 reward. The Mayor is surrounded by (l to r) Inglewood Police Department spokesperson Lt. James D. Madia, family friend Dr. Michael Pratts, Martin's sister Micharri Pratts, friends Teddy Fletcher and Jaaye Person-Lynn. On Tuesday evening, the 28-year-old father was cleaning the garage of his grandmother's Inglewood home, along with his son, Fredrick "Tre" Martin III, and his son's godfather, Joseph Hickman, when they heard gunfire nearby. Hickman was shot in the ankle. Photo/Isidra Person-Lynn)
Listen to audio from press conference
Audio courtesy of Isidra Person-Lynn
The family of an Inglewood man killed last week while shielding his young son from gunfire joined city officials at an emotional news conference Monday to plead with the public for help in solving the case and offer a $10,000 reward.
“I love my brother with all my heart,” said Micharri Pratts, Fredrick Martin Jr.’s half-sister. “And there’s nothing I want more right now than to catch the people who did this and caused such pain for my family.”
The reward is being offered by Pratts’ father, Michael, who said he had known Martin since he was a young boy.
“Fred is a hero,” Michael Pratts said. “He died protecting his 8-year-old son. He put his body in front of these senseless gunmen.”
On Tuesday evening, the 28-year-old father was cleaning the garage of his grandmother’s Inglewood home, along with his son, Fredrick “Tre” Martin III, and the boy’s godfather, Joseph Hickman, when they heard gunfire nearby. Hickman was shot in the ankle.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts said he knew Martin’s mother personally and spoke highly of the family, at one point choking up during the news conference.
“It’s an outstanding family,” the mayor said. “And this has put a hole in their heart that will never be filled.”
Butts said the city is considering whether to add more money to the reward. That decision is being handled by the police department, which would then forward it to the council for approval.
The mayor and police officials refused to disclose details of the investigation or descriptions of the suspects. They say its unclear at this point whether the incident was gang related, although they do not believe Martin had any ties to gangs.
“We really don’t have much,” said Inglewood police Lt. James Madia. “Were here because we want to get the word out.”
More than a dozen family members and friends were also in attendance at the news conference, including Hickman, who was standing on crutches and had his ankle in a cast. Hickman declined to comment.
Inglewood police are encouraging anyone with information about the shooting to call homicide detectives at (310) 412-5246.
Martin’s family has created a fund to collect donations for his children.
April 10, 2012 at 4:37 pm
[…] Jr. was 28 years old and a married father of two, his wife is pregnant with their child. An Inglewood native, Martin was all too aware of the violence in the neighborhood and avoided confrontation. So to be […]
April 15, 2012 at 12:25 am
I hope they find the perpetrator(s) who did this.
This is such a such story, but also a very heroic story at the same time — because the father took the bullets and saved his child’s life.
The child will grow up knowing that his dad died in a very heroic way, of course, this doesn’t negate the senseless way that Martin’s life was taken away by some street thugs.
Yes, guns do kill people and people also kill people.