Two children are growing up without a father who was killed in a random Tulsa shooting 4 years ago

Two small Tulsa children are growing up without a father; they don't know that he was an innocent victim, shot in the back of the head during a random shooting. They only know he lives in the sky

Monday, October 3rd 2005, 2:58 pm

By: News On 6

Two small Tulsa children are growing up without a father; they don't know that he was an innocent victim, shot in the back of the head during a random shooting. They only know he lives in the sky and can't take them to school or be here for their birthdays and Christmas.

News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright says the family hopes this cold case homicide can now be solved, in order to ease the pain of Deandre' Blackwell's children and others who love him.

Jalen and Andrea Blackwell are beautiful, smart children who are missing something very important in their lives, their father. Jalen was 13 months old when his father was killed; Andrea was born three months after the murder. That loss weighs heavily on their mother's heart. Kim Rowe, Deandre' Blackwell's fiancÃ©: "They're five and three, so I don't know how to explain to them why he's gone or what's being done about it. They just know he's not there."

Deandre' Blackwell had gone to Goodfellas, a downtown Tulsa club on October 21st, 2001. There was a fight that spilled outside; he was not a part of it. Someone fired four shots, four people went down, three lived, but Deandre' didn't. Kim Rowe: "You would think as each year goes by, it would get easier, but it's more frustrating that four years have gone by and nobody has been held responsible, it's hard for me to deal with.â€

Tulsa Police believe someone in that large crowd, including the three survivors, knows who pulled the trigger, but for some reason, they refuse to come forward. They hope circumstances have changed in the past four years so that someone is now willing to do the right thing, if not for Deandre', then at least, for his children. Kim Rowe: "I kinda go through life and raise my kids in a way that makes Deandre' proud."

And while that's a great gift, the one thing this family needs to ease the pain of Deandre's loss, is for his killer to be caught.

If you know anything about this cold case murder, you can call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS. You don't have to give your name and could still earn a thousand dollars cash if the tip leads to an arrest.