Background: News footage of the scene at the Pine Hills, Fla., home where Emony Nicole Jackson was killed on Dec. 25 (WKMG). Inset: Emony Nicole Jackson (Facebook).
A Florida teenager is in custody in connection with a fatal shooting on Christmas Day.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office announced in a press release obtained by local Fox affiliate WOFL that a 15-year-old boy was charged with manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of 13-year-old Emony Nicole Jackson. The boy was not named due to his juvenile status. Police said while deputies were at the home in Pine Hills, Florida, on the evening of Dec. 25, the boy approached them to tell them that "he was responsible for the shooting," but claimed that it was "accidental."
Police said the Christmas Day shooting happened at 4:45 p.m. First responders brought Emony to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The boy who approached sheriff's deputies at the scene to claim responsibility was arrested. Information about the circumstances that led up to the alleged shooting was not shared. The relationship between the two teenagers was not made public.
Emony's loved ones gathered to celebrate the teen at a candlelight vigil on Saturday. Her aunt, Cynthia Williams, told local NBC affiliate WESH that the girl's family did not believe the alleged shooting was an accident. She said, "In my eyes, there can never be an accident like that," adding, "All we want is justice."
Tremaine Henderson, Emony's cousin, told WESH that the family had already mourned the loss of Emony's mother and younger sister in 2017. The 13-year-old, Henderson said, "went through a lot in her life. But the lemons she was given, she made lemonade out of it."
WESH reported that the middle schooler was looking forward to high school and wanted to become a cheerleader. Henderson said, "She had goals. She would never get to go to prom. She would never get to go to college."
The alleged shooting is still being investigated by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
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