5 years later, family miffed as DPD silent on unsolved shooting of beloved pastor

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Jamie Daniels' family members say he was more than just a pastor.

He was a father figure and mentor to so many in Durham.

This week marks five years since he was shot and killed.

Durham Police have yet to solve this case.

"People say as time goes by, that it's going to get better, but it doesn't," said Monica Alston, Daniels' sister. "It's horrible that you are never going to see that person again."

Alston is asking the community for answers Monday as her family prepares to again grieve Daniels' death.

It's another year of questioning why the 33-year-old pastor was shot and killed.

"My little brother did not deserve this. He was a very, very good person. He loved everybody," Alston said. "To be left on a cold sidewalk to die; it just goes through my head that nobody was there to help him."

According to Durham Police, on July 16, 2016, a neighbor found the pastor's lifeless body with a gunshot wound on Dunbar Street, a block away from North Carolina Central University.

Five years later the case seems stone cold.

On Monday, ABC11 asked Durham Police a series of questions: Was the shooting random or targeted? What was the possible motive? Are police still receiving tips?

But Durham Police said they would not be able to answer those questions Monday.

Alston is frustrated by that and what she calls a lack of response from DPD.

"We haven't had any communication with them in three years," Alston said. "We've resorted to getting our own private investigator."

For now, the family is praying his killer will be revealed.

On Friday evening, they'll release balloons in Daniels' memory by his grave at Markham Memorial Cemetery at 6:30 p.m.

"What will be going through my mind is will the person show up? Is the person going to be in the crowd? I will never give up trying to figure out who did this and why. I want them to know that. My family will never stop," Alston said.

If you have any information on this case, call Durham Police or Crimestoppers at (919) 683-1200.

There is a cash reward for any tip that leads to an arrest.