Sweeny teen Robert Phillipps III killed in Easter shooting; family wants answers

Brazoria County: One month after Sweeny murder, 16-year-old's family demands answers

Robert Phillips was reportedly killed at an apartment complex on Easter Sunday. After a month with no answers, Phillips' family shares their pleads with FOX 26's Leslie DelasBour.

SWEENY, Texas - A family is speaking out after a 16-year-old son was killed in broad daylight on Easter Sunday. 

Sweeney teen killed Easter weekend, family seeking answers

It all happened in Sweeny, Texas, at the Windmill Run Apartments.

A month and two days after 16-year-old Robert Phillips was gunned down, his mother and his aunt say they are going to be his voice. 

"I gave y’all 30 days, and I’m speaking up now," said Nancy Phillips. 

Mother says she wants justice for her 16-year-old son 

What they're saying:

Nancy Phillips says her son was gunned down just before noon Easter Sunday. 

She says Robert was selling vapes and exchanging messages on Instagram with a possible buyer. 

"They took a part of my heart the day they took him, they took part of me," Philipps said. 

"Like, for $35, you did this?" Paola Trejo, his aunt, said.

Family says they want answers from Sweeny Police 

What we know:

The family says they found out five hours later that Robert had been killed. They add he was driving his mother's vehicle, which is registered with his mother.

They left home and went to the Sweeny Police Station where they had to wait – until someone inside confirmed it was Robert. 

"The car is actually registered at the other address in Sweeny, and they said Robert didn't have his identification on it, because he accidentally left it at a friend’s house. Then at the end, what they did was run the plates. Why didn't they run the plates immediately and contact whoever the car was registered under?" said Trejo. "Then we showed him the picture and that’s when we broke down. He just shook his head, ‘yeah,’ and that’s when we broke down, and we still waited for anybody to tell us what’s going on."

Both mother and aunt say Robert was a smart kid who had dreams of going to college and pursuing a career in radiology, but it was all taken away from him, and they want to know why.

"As soon as I go to his room, I break down every night and cry for him," said Philipps. 

FOX 26 did reach out to Sweeny police for an update, but the person we needed to speak to was not in the office on Thursday. However, we will continue to stay on top of this story.