LAS VEGAS -- A year ago 17-year-old Betty Pinkney was shot and killed at a house party in the northeast part of the valley.
More than 80 people were at that house that night, but so far no suspects have been named and no one is in custody.
Betty's family said the year following her death has been tough, especially because they said someone out there knows who shot and killed Betty and need to speak up as soon as possible.
"It still hurts," said Betty's sister, Chareka Franklin. "It still hurts because I miss her."
Holding back tears, Franklin said not a day goes by that she doesn't think about her younger sister and what hurts more is that no one has been arrested for the crime.
"It would give us some closure and we can live on," she said.
Betty, a high school senior at Desert Pines High School, was at a house near Craig Road and Lamb Boulevard for a party Jan 15, 2012, when a fight broke out. Shots were fired and Betty was hit. Metro Police officer Marcus Martin said she was an innocent bystander.
"This is horrendously wrong that this innocent girl was slain in this manner," Martin said.
Martin said detectives are still investigating the case and they need more witnesses to come forward.
"There's the culture, the atmosphere of ‘no snitching,' which is ridiculous (and) absurd," he said.
Betty's father, Joseph Pinkney, also urged witnesses to come forward so he and his family can move on.
"It's been tough," he said. "Be in contact with (the police) and say, ‘This is what I saw,' and let them take it from there. It won't bring her back but it will bring closure."
Metro Police is urging anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 702-385-5555. The call will remain anonymous and there may be a cash reward.
A bullet hole outside the house where Betty Jean Pinkney was shot.
Pink tape marks bullet holes in the house from a shooting on Jan. 15, 2012.
Pinkney went to Desert Pines High School.
