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Family of shooting victim still searching for answers more than a month later

Posted at 10:46 PM, Jul 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-19 22:46:42-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The family of a 23-year-old homicide victim in Grand Rapids says they’re still waiting for justice.

Quavon Lee was found shot to death inside of a car off Bemis Street back on June 7. A woman named Jaionna Michelle Braden, 20, was also found dead in the vehicle.

Relatives say Lee had been trying to help Braden and believe another man had become jealous.

"He had that saying, 'If I eat, we all eat.' And that was Quavon," said Quavon's mother, Fatima Lee. "He didn’t want to leave anybody behind. He was a loving person."

Lee says she recalls hearing shots that night, but never imagined it would be her son that was hit. She remembers having a detective show up at her home to inform her.

"He said, 'I’m sorry for your loss,' And I was like, 'Who did this?' I didn’t cry immediately; I was enraged. Like, who had the audacity to take my child away from me?" said Lee. "Knowing that he don’t do things bad, he’s not out in the street, he’s not running around here being mean and evil to people. And for you to take him from us, who are you to do that?"

Quavon's sister, Quintoni, is also hoping for answers and says she's helping police in any way that she can.

"My brother did not deserve that. He will never be able to be with us the way that we want him to be with us. He will never be able to enjoy the things that we get to enjoy because he’s not here," said Quintoni. "I want to have a better understanding of what is going on with this case, because I feel like we aren’t getting enough communication like we should."

Loved ones say, while they hope justice will come, they grieve the loss of being able to make any new memories with Quavon.

Grand Rapids Police tell FOX 17 that Quavon and Jaionna's deaths are considered high priority, but wouldn't provide any further details.

Anyone with information on the homicides is asked to call the department at 616-456-3400 or leave information anonymously Silent Observer online at or by phone 616-774-2345.