Cliff Hibbert Jr. told his mother he loved her before driving off in his recently purchased car to go to a party on March 27, 2008. The aspiring lawyer was 22 years old and weeks from graduating with a degree in business law from California State University Northridge.
He left paperwork for an internship in Washington D.C. on the desk in his room. But he would never get to experience life on the east coast or accomplish his goals.
Hibbert along with his friend, Kenneth Patterson, was shot and killed at about 2 a.m. the following morning. Hibbert’s body was found lying on a sidewalk in the 4200 block of South Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles, just a few feet from where he had parked.
That was 14 years ago. Those responsible for the double homicide have yet to be identified.
“The criminal justice system has failed you as it has failed many in our community,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon told Hibbert’s mother Donna Brown during a news conference at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church of Los Angeles on Monday, the anniversary of the young man’s death. “The reality is that the solvability of homicides in this country is abysmal. And even in our own county, sometimes it’s around 50 percent.”
But Brown still believes whoever killed her son will eventually be made to answer for their actions. She feels like she must maintain hope, to honor Hibbert’s memory and offer strength to all the other relatives of victims in unsolved homicides she met since he was killed.
That’s why she and her daughter, Ayanna Parker, created the Cliff Hibbert Jr. Encouragement Group. The organization serves as a resource providing support and information to the loved ones of people slain in acts of gun violence. They partnered with the advocacy groups Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America and Everytown For Gun Safety to host Monday’s news conference.
The investigation into Hibbert’s death, like many other unsolved cases, has been at a “stalemate,” LAPD Det. Melvin Hernandez of the South Los Angeles Bureau’s homicide division said Monday. Progress may not be possible unless people come forward with new information.
“Every case won’t have DNA. Every case won’t have surveillance cameras. Every case won’t have fingerprint evidence,” said Tiffiny Blacknell, a former public defender and now an advisor to District Attorney Gascon. “Some cases will be solved by eyewitnesses. And unless we build trust in communities who witness these crimes, the solve rate will continue to be low.”
Blacknell said it was vital that “power brokers” like lawmakers, law enforcement and prosecutors initiate the process of fostering that trust and listen to those they serve.
Even so, Hernandez acknowledged that some potential witnesses may be held back by legitimate fears of retaliation.
“It takes a lot of courage to come forward. It’s not easy,” Hernandez said. “But I’d ask them: how would you feel if that was your son or your daughter, or your friend?”
Brown and Parker said anonymous tip lines like Crime Stoppers are safe. They pleaded for any new leads that might deliver closure for their family.
Relatives described Hibbert as a responsible, practical young man who took it upon himself to be a mentor to other young people. He often told Brown and Parker he wanted to have an impact on his community and the world.
“Black children matter, they really do,” Brown said. “They don’t just matter in the grave.”
