CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Jamarreion Jones, 12, was supposed to be laid to rest Tuesday, but a hiccup in finances has pushed it to Saturday.
And while the family tries to come up with the remaining funeral funds, they reflected Monday night on the life of the boy they affectionately called Ya-Ya.
A chorus of shouts punctuated the night: "We love you Ya-Ya!"
The tight-knit family was trying to find the words to help them cope with the unbearable loss.
"I'm going to miss him,” Ya-Ya's mom Amy Jackson said. "I know that God is not going to give me more than I can handle. Without faith I have nothing. It hurts, but he's in a better place. He can't walk the earth but his spirit is with me."
What she says hurts the most, is knowing a week ago at this time the boy was alive and well. That would change the next day when police rushed to Totty Street.
They say Ya-Ya’s brother Rayshawn Elmore mishandled a gun and shot his little brother on the chest.
"Just scared," said Jackson of the older brother’s reaction to the shooting. "God forgave him and Ya-Ya forgives him."
A six-year-old Petersburg girl who calls Jackson ‘grandma’ was in attendance at Ya-Ya's candlelight vigil. She was shot in the leg on July 15 as gunfire erupted in her apartment complex.
To this day, anything with a bang, brings back painful memories.
"I just went outside and they started shooting,” she said.
From the youngest to the oldest in this crowd, all pointed out the 12-year-old’s pleasant personality. He was gone too soon, but they say he will forever live in their hearts.
"We will never forget about him: he's our angel on earth."
The family has a Gofundme. You can click here if you’d liked to help.
