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Family: Lamar HS student had 'alternative persona' on social media

De'Linsey Mack's father issued a warning to parents that if they don't get into the social media pages of their children they will be in the same position he is in.

HOUSTON – The family of De'Lindsey Mack, an 18-year-old shot and killed last week, are warning parents to look into what their children are posting on social media.

De'Lindsey was shot and killed near Lamar High School on Tuesday, November 13. De’Linsey’s father and his pastor, D.Z. Cofield, spoke out Monday morning at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

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"Anyone who knows or knew De'Lindsey would know him to be a big talker, but he was not a gangster," said Pastor Cofield.

The teen's father says the teen had "an alternative persona" on social media that was different than from what he was in real life.

“In looking at his Instagram page in particular, we discovered that an alternative persona. De’Lindsey wasn’t a gangster, I called him Baby Huey. He was a soft kid,” Cofield said. “He wanted to be hard. Knows a lot of hard people growing up in the inner city…but in terms of those relationships being a part of his life and shaping his character, that wasn’t the kind of kid he was.”

De'Lindsey's father issued a warning to parents that if they don't get into the social media pages of their children, they will be in the same position he is in.

“It’s sad that someone can create a persona on social media that makes someone hate them that bad,” the teen’s father said. “It used to be a time in my day that someone had to do something to a person physically…but these are simple words and pictures that has brought this to this point. It’s a sad day.”

Cofield explained De’Linsey’s parents had no idea what their son was posting on social media. He echoed what the teen's father said and urged parents to know what their children are posting to social media.

"You don't have to be a smart person to have a smart phone," Cofield said. "It's not just a level of intelligence, but a level of maturity. We're literally putting technological guns in the hands of our children when we give them access to the entire world, and they don't have the maturity to handle it. They don't have the maturity to understand that the words that they say, the pictures that they post have consequences."

It’s been very tough time for the family of the 18-year-old after he was gunned down last week while walking near Lamar High School with a friend.

His friend was also shot, but she survived. Police believe De’Lindsey was targeted.

Known to be an outstanding football player, he had recently transferred from Yates High School, and according to his friends, it was to escape gang violence.

De’Lindsey’s shooter is still on the run.

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