Police say the 25-year-old homicide victim was found shot inside the former Wells Fargo site on Hillcroft Avenue.
HOUSTON, TX — Demolition began Thursday at an abandoned southwest Houston bank building where 25-year-old Jade Roberts was found shot to death in January, months after neighbors warned the vacant property had become unsafe.
The former Wells Fargo branch at 2824 Hillcroft Avenue had drawn repeated complaints before Roberts was found inside on Jan. 2. Houston police have not named a suspect or motive. The case remains open, and the building itself has become part of a wider neighborhood dispute over vacant commercial properties, squatting, stagnant water and city enforcement.
Houston police said patrol officers were sent to the Hillcroft Avenue address about 10:20 a.m. Jan. 2 after a report of a person down. Officers found Roberts inside the building with a gunshot wound. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced Roberts dead at the scene. Police later identified the victim as Jadarius Roberts, also known as Jade. Detectives J. Caten and K. Stringer of the Houston Police Department Homicide Division were assigned to the case. In the first police update, officials said the identity was pending notification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. By late April, police publicly named Roberts and released photos while asking for information in the killing.
The old bank sits on Hillcroft Avenue near Westheimer Road, in a busy southwest Houston corridor lined with shops, restaurants and apartments. Wells Fargo closed the branch in September 2023. After that, neighbors and city records described a site that kept drawing complaints. At least 27 complaints were filed through Houston’s 311 system after the closure. Some reports involved stagnant water collecting in the former drive-thru area. Others involved squatting, including complaints dating back to February 2024. Neighbors said people had been staying in and around the building, and they described trash, clothing and shopping carts outside the property. Police have not said whether Roberts was killed inside the building or brought there after being shot.
The building’s condition drew attention from District F Councilwoman Tiffany Thomas before and after the homicide. Thomas said neighbors had contacted her office about the property, and she said the owner had been cited after earlier complaints. She said the owner put up fencing, but the barrier did not keep everyone out. Thomas said private property owners have a duty to secure vacant buildings so city workers and police are not left responding again and again. Houston Public Works later said it had an active case against the property involving high weeds and stagnant water. City inspectors also planned to visit the site after the death, though officials said they would need a warrant to enter the private property.
Roberts’ family has pressed for answers. A relative, Sharon Johnson, told a local television station that the loss was “shattering” and “life-altering.” Johnson said Roberts deserved justice and that no one deserved to die that way. Police have said there was no known suspect or motive. The department has asked anyone with information to contact homicide detectives or Crime Stoppers. The case number listed by police is Inc. 000530326. As of Thursday, police had not announced an arrest, a charge or a public description of a suspect tied to Roberts’ death.
The demolition marks a visible change at a property that had become a symbol of frustration for nearby residents. Crews moved in nearly five months after Roberts was found, removing a structure neighbors said had sat open too long. The work also followed public concern about whether the site had become a place where vulnerable people gathered without basic safety, oversight or security. Neighbors had described seeing people go in and out of the former bank and said the building’s empty drive-thru and boarded areas had become gathering spots. The owner of the property could not be reached by one local station after the death.
The investigation is still active. The next public milestone will depend on whether detectives identify a suspect, release new evidence or announce charges in Roberts’ killing. For now, the bank building is coming down, but the homicide case remains unsolved.
Author note: Last updated May 28, 2026.