Almost two years after the tragic incident that led to 26-year-old Delano Burkes being found dead in the Houston Ship Channel, his family has decided to take legal action. In a lawsuit filed against a bar in the Heights, the family accuses the establishment of negligence related to Delano's demise. According to Click2Houston, the lawsuit alleges that McIntyre’s on 20th St. overserved alcohol to Burkes, removed him from the premises while he was intoxicated, and failed to ensure his safety, which the family says should have been apparent to the staff.
The lawsuit claims that the bar staff neglected to properly implement and monitor policies meant to protect customers like Burkes, who, after disappearing on November 13, 2022, was later found on November 25, 2022, by tugboat employees in the Houston Ship Channel. The family of the late young man is now seeking more than a million dollars in damages, as indicated in the filing from last Friday.
In a separate but equally compelling narrative, Stephen Burkes, the brother of Delano Burkes, has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting of two family members. Early on a Friday morning in West Houston, Stephen was taken into custody, facing charges of murder and aggravated assault against a family member. "We have one adult male, I believe in his 50s deceased on the scene," said Lt. R. Willkens, as FOX 26 reports. The adult male victim was the boyfriend of Karen Jeffley, Stephen's mother, who was herself shot multiple times and hospitalized.
"Our suspect has had mental problems in the past," Lt. Willkens said, as they try to piece together the details surrounding the shootings. The incidents have cast a further somber shadow over the Burkes family, who have been grappling with the loss of Delano and are now confronted with yet another tragedy. A family spokesperson emphasized that Stephen had no history of ill intent towards women, particularly his mother, and that this event came as a shock. "Stephen has never behaved in such way and has always been known to stand up for others who had been bullied or miss treated," the spokesperson stated, according to the FOX 26 interview.
