Trackdown: Help find Andre Emmett's killer
DALLAS - This week’s Trackdown focuses on the murder of former NBA player Andre Emmett, who police say was robbed before he was killed.
Emmett played professionally both in the NBA and overseas. His basketball career launched at Texas Tech University.
A group of Tech graduates has put up a $50,000 reward for the right information about who killed Emmett.
Detective Scott Sayers has gone through every part of Emmett's life and found nothing.
When Emmett was killed in the early morning hours of September 23, police say the robbers spotted him, took his property, then took his life.
[REPORTER: “[There was] no indication that they knew him? They never called him by name?”] “Never called him by name,” Det. Sayers responded. “They got his property, they got an $80,000 appraised watch, Rolex watch, from him. They got two chains from him. They got what they wanted, and they still shot and killed him after he ran off.”
You can sense Homicide Detective Scott Sayers’ anger at Emmett's murder after hooks marked him and then robbed him just after 2 a.m. on September 23 in the 4900 block of Monarch.
The murder was caught on Emmett's Ring home video camera.
“They chase him down, you see the shooters and you'll hear the shooting suspect is right here, and he's bang, bang, bang, bang. Then he runs down after him and you hear another bang, so six shots that you hear,” Sayers explained.
Emmett’s basketball career started with him playing high school ball at Carter.
Basketball legend Nancy Lieberman, who was a great friend of Emmett’s, spoke about Emmett and the $50,000 reward being offered by the Texas Tech Alumni Association at the dedication of a basketball court her charity opened in McKinney.
“And there was not one time that I was with him over the last two years, and it was plentiful, that he didn’t show me pictures of his two daughters. He was a great father,” Lieberman said. “I want to thank everybody from Texas Tech University for coming together and raising $50,000 for the information and the capture of the killers.”
Before Emmett was robbed and murdered, police say he was out at some clubs, but there was no indication of any problems beforehand.
“We know he was coming from some clubs that I’ve already gotten video from and talked to some people. We know that he was coming from some clubs down on Lower McKinney,” Det. Sayers said.
[REPORTER: “No beef with anybody?“] “No beef with anybody. We've looked at the video, he didn’t get into it with anybody,” Det. Sayers responded.
Emmett stopped at the What-A-Burger at Haskell and Capital on his way home.
“I've gotten the video of him pulling through the drive-thru. Nobody is with him or following him,” Sayers added.
Video shows him sitting in his SUV, eating his late night burger while on his phone for four minutes.
“At that point in time, the suspects, who unbeknownst to him, have pulled up down the street behind that gold car in a white Chrysler 300,” Det. Sayers said. “The car was described to me by a witness as possibly a C-series, and it’s got 20-inch rims, so silver 20-inch rims.”
The suspects then went up to Emmett’s car to rob him.
“Suspect number one, who is the shooter, comes walking right down this sidewalk. Comes up next to him and hits him in the face with what I believe is the gun,” Sayers explains.
In the Ring video, you can hear him yelling at Emmett “to give it, up give it all up” and “don’t push up on me.”
“You see Andre on video taking the necklace off. He had an $80,000 Rolex.
That Rolex was taken, along with a gold and silver chain.
“Right about at the end of his SUV, he tries to take off and he runs, and after they get his watch and his jewelry, they shoot him,” Det. Sayers said.
Emmett takes off, and then bullets ring out. His body was found a couple of blocks away
“His infant daughter was here when we found the car, and was saying, ‘Where's daddy?” Sayers recalled. [REPORTER: “This is unspeakable.”] “Yes,” Sayers responded.
[REPORTER: “And this community should not accept it.”] They shouldn’t accept it. There’s people, witnesses out there right now, that we have received information telling us who is responsible for this, okay? Just telling us who is responsible is not enough. We need factual information, factual witnesses to come forward,” Det. Sayers added.
“The person I’m really concerned with, also, is the second suspect who walks down the street and comes up second, okay? We know there’s one shooter. I’d like to talk to [the second suspect]. Maybe this wasn’t the plan. Maybe the shooter did something that he really shouldn’t have done, okay? And that’s something I need to talk to you about,” Det. Sayers added.
Lieberman is asking people to remember the good man Emmett was, along with his family.
“He was one of those young guys that made it. He was the giver and he gave back, and he was a great role model and we lost somebody way, way too soon,” she said. “So when you go to bed at night and you get down on your knees and you say your prayers, pray for that family.”
That $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the persons who robbed and killed Andre Emmett is available.
Those with information can call Crime Stoppers or connect straight with Detective Scott Sayers on his cell phone, 214-283-4849. He’s waiting for your call right now.
Help catch the killers caught on tape, but still at-large.