HOUSTON — It's been over a year since Arlene Alvarez was shot and killed and her parents, with the community's help, are still doing everything they can to keep their daughter's memory alive and attention on the open case.
At a trail ride on Sunday, Wendy and Armando Alvarez said they do not feel like justice has been served in their daughter's case.
"Everyone is here gathering just to show that justice wasn't served for my daughter," Armando Alvarez said. "Everyone is here to support us. To show us that we have not forgotten and it's not going to be swept under the rug."
A grand jury declined to indict the man who police said pulled the trigger. They said he didn't intend to shoot at Arlene.
The search continues for the man accused of setting off the chain of events that led to the 9-year-old's death on Valentine's Day in 2022. Arlene was with her family on their way to eat at their favorite pizza spot when she was shot and killed.
Police said the man who pulled the trigger was actually a victim himself and was firing his gun out of self-defense. According to investigators, that man was with his wife and was pulling money out of an ATM near the Gulf Freeway and the Loop when another man approached and robbed them at gunpoint.
The man who was robbed told police that when he got out of his car, he heard gunshots and believed he was being shot, so he fired at what he thought was the suspect's vehicle. It turned out to be the Alvarez family truck and Arlene was struck and killed.
Police said they have a video showing the man they're looking for jumping a fence at a nearby business after the robbery. Arlene's parents want everyone to see the video and want him to be caught.
There's a $30,000 reward being offered in the case.