TULSA - Michael Davis was born and raised in Tulsa, raising his five kids the best he could, until someone made other plans.
His hands stretch out wide, smile on his face.
The photo carefully placed in his grandmother's home preserves him the way his family remembers him.
“He was a good person. He didn’t bother anybody. He didn’t do any of that," said his mother Katherine Jackson.
His mother still keeps him close, always over her shoulder.
“He was a good person. He didn’t bother anybody. He didn’t do any of that.”
But she made sure not to look too far back to a painful past.
“Not knowing why was very hard," said his niece Brittney Williams.
One they still can't explain.
A snippet of police tape bound to a fence was the only thing left.
“I just couldn’t believe they found someone murdered and they were saying it was my son," his mother said.
The day after her world flipped upside down nine years ago.
“He had told his kids he’d be back later on tonight and he didn’t come back.”
Police said they found the father of five dead on an east Tulsa street.
“It was about 11:30 at night. Mike was discovered deceased off of Archer and 122nd East Avenue and he was shot multiple times," said Tulsa Police Homicide Detective Eddie Majors.
“I was hysterical. I was just feeling it just wasn’t right. It just wasn’t real," his mother said.
His family dumbfounded, thinking the greatest battle was already within him.
“He had terminal cancer. He had stage 4 cancer.”
Not in the hands of someone else.
“He said it’s ok. He said I’m going to beat this. And I said I know, I know," said his sister Pamela Head.
Police found his vehicle almost half a mile away from his body at the East Central Village Apartments.
It had a car seat inside even though none of his kids were young enough to have one, raising even more questions.
“We don’t know if he was trying to get away from someone or he got dropped off somewhere and was walking back to his car, we have no idea," Detective Majors said.
Mrs. Jackson said she had no idea how her son got to that street and she found it hard to believe no one saw how he got there, but she's grateful for the one person driving by who saw him and stopped to make sure police found him.
“I think he was a black man that didn’t have a lot and nobody cared. That’s how I felt," his sister said.
His loved ones are frustrated with the investigation and losing hope they'll ever know who took their son, uncle, father and brother's smile away.
“I don’t know how they could even sleep at night because they could be next.”
Detective Majors frustrated absolutely no one will talk.
“And it seems like nobody cares that’s troubling," he said.
But his family knows the outcome isn't up to them or police.
“I know that God is in control, I do know that. And whoever or whomever did this they have to answer to him.”
Hoping to look Michael's killer in the eye with a message.
“I forgive you but please if you are there, turn yourself in. And let us know why you did what you did.”
Tulsa Police are pleading with anyone who has information about Michael's death to come forward by reaching out to the cold case tip line.
(918) 798- 8477; Homicide@cityoftulsa.org
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