Court documents reveal motive, identify suspects in murder of 4-year-old Cornelius Carrington

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - For the last two years, the murder of Cornelius Carrington was thought to be a random act of violence. Now, a new search warrant suggests it was retaliation for another person’s death.

A drive-by shooting near North Globe Avenue and East Ursuline killed 4-year-old Cornelius Carrington on Dec. 17, 2021.

The LPD Special Crimes Unit says multiple tips pointed to one person of interest. According to the search warrant, sources told police that the shooter was upset with two brothers who were involved in a car crash that left one person dead. One of those brothers was identified as Carrington’s father.

During an interview between police and the person of interest, the warrant shows the man admitted to following Carrington’s father around a store just 30 minutes before the shooting. However, cell phone locations obtained by investigators did not show the suspect near the scene at the time of the shooting.

The court document names two additional suspects - two men who were arrested two days after Carrington’s death in connection with an unrelated crime. Both of those men are currently in the Lubbock County Detention Center, but have not been charged in connection with Carrington’s death.

The men have not been charged in this crime as of Wednesday night, so we are not identifying them at this time.

Police are still actively investigating. If you know anything related to the murder of Cornelius Carrington, you are asked to call Crime Line at 806-741-1000. You can remain anonymous and could get a cash reward up to $15,000.

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