Murder of Hammond father of 6 remains unsolved 3 months later

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Three months after Marcell Jennings was shot and killed outside his Hammond home, his family still has no answers as to who killed him.

"All we do know is that my brother did not deserve what happened to him on August 22," said brother Jonathan Wilson.

Hammond police said the 33-year-old was sitting in his car outside his home in the 6300-block of Jefferson Avenue when two men approached him and shot him three times.

"For this to happen to him, it's unfathomable. He didn't bother anybody," said LaTanya Tharpe, sister.

His family said he had just returned home from work. They have no idea who would want to kill him.

"Anything he could do to help somebody else, to make them laugh, to make them smile, he would do that. And he was a family man," said cousin Tiara Jackson.

A gentle, hard-working, devoted father and son, they said Jennings loved God. He was a trailblazer, his family said and inspired everyone around him.

"Everywhere Marcell went, whether he had the kids with him or not, he would carry his little backpack, it was like a fanny pack. If you ever asked him what was in it, it was his bible," Tharpe said.

"Marcel was the patriarch of our family He helped everybody. He works for ComEd," said cousin Dominique Brown.

Family and friends demanded more attention from the police department in solving the case outside Hammond City Hall Tuesday.

"When you lose a kid, that's like losing a part of yourself. And I feel like a part of me is gone," said his father Ralph Jennings.

"For whoever took his life, we hope you never have peace until you turn yourself in," said Martha Kent, grandmother.

"Marcell always showed up for everybody around him, whether it was his family, his friends, he just showed up always, and that's what I think everybody needs to do for him," said Jackson.

Hammond police said right now, they're waiting on warrants for electronic and physical evidence, as there were no eye witnesses to the shooting. They're hopeful today will help shed light on the case and bring forward anyone with information.