LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A local family is demanding justice after they say multiple people attacked their son at a bonfire last month in south Lubbock County.
Detayevion Lang, who goes by “Taye,” is a high school senior. His family says he was assaulted the night of Saturday, January 17 and had to be treated at the hospital.
Phyllis Gant, chair of the local chapter of the NAACP, urged action at a news conference on Saturday, hosted by the Lubbock Coalition of Black Democrats.
“Somebody gotta be a voice for these young people, because this young man is a straight A student, minds his business, doesn’t have violent bone in his body, and has already endured racism,” Gant said. “So I am intentional to speak for Taye and all of the other Tayes this is happening to.”
Anyone with information about what happened that night is asked to come forward.
“I know they get irritated with us, but we keep having to come out here and write the will, we keep having to come out and say hey excuse me, January 17th a few weeks ago, this young man was attacked, this young man was assaulted, so we are asking for immediate action. Investigations take time, but if I can identify my attacker, that person should be in jail,” Gant said.
Investigation ongoing
KCBD started looking into this incident earlier this week, after we received an email from a family member. KCBD spoke with them to learn more and requested any reports or information available from law enforcement.
While it didn’t mention this case by name, the sheriff’s office issued a statement emphasizing the time it takes to investigate criminal cases, saying how long it takes to investigate and file charges can vary.
The sheriff’s office wrote that investigations move more swiftly when it has the support of the community, and asks anyone with information on any crime to report it.
You can read the full statement here:
Lubbock Sheriff’s Office Informational Statement Regarding Investigations and Community Concerns
We understand some community members have concerns about the progress of one of our active cases. The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office would like to address some general misconceptions we have seen on social media.
Criminal cases take time to investigate properly. This agency is not in the habit of rushing to submit incomplete cases to the District Attorney’s Office for consideration of charges. The timeframe to conclude an investigation and file formal charges can vary depending on the complexity of each case.
Investigations move more swiftly when we have the support and cooperation of the community. If you have information on any crime, we encourage you to share that information with us. You can submit tips online, on our app, by calling our non-emergency line at 806-775-1600, or coming into our office at 712 Broadway during regular business hours.
We do not issue public statements on every crime reported. This is an unreasonable expectation. We respond to numerous events hourly. The facts of every case are not always immediately clear; issuing premature statements compromises the integrity of our criminal investigations. If you have questions on a specific event, you can file an open records request for the current information available or contact our Public Information Officer. If you are ever directly involved in a case, you should be provided with contact information from the investigator.
Anyone is welcome to contact our Public Information Officer if they have questions regarding our agency. They can be contacted:
Online using the “Contact Us” form at LubbockSheriff.com
on the Lubbock County Sheriff’s app using the “Submit a Tip” button
on Facebook or Instagram as a direct message
by calling 806-775-1496 M-F from 8-5
The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office is proud to serve our West Texas community. We are blessed to serve in a community where most of our citizens do not encounter law enforcement regularly and may not be familiar with the criminal justice system. We encourage the community to contact us directly to voice concerns or ask questions.
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