Justice For Jazmine Barnes

The new year starts off on a sour note in Harris County, Texas as the community mourns the lost of 7 year old, Jazmine Barnes, who’s life was taken due to gun violence. Investigators currently are still trying to get a clear answer as to why this happened, but slowly the pieces to the puzzle are coming together.

Early Sunday morning, Jazmine Barnes and her three sisters had hop into their mother’s car and headed to a store so they could get some breakfast supplies. As they stopped at a stoplight, another car had pulled up beside them and opened fired. Jazmine’s mother, LaPorsha Williams, was shot in the arm, Jazmine’s 6 year-old sister was hit was shattered glass, her older teenage sister were unharmed; but unfortunately, Jazmine died due to a fatal gunshot to her head. Jazmine was 7 years old and was a second grader at Monahan Elementary School located in Houston, Texas.

So far, investigators have two suspects in mind. Eric Black Jr., age 20, name was brought to the investigation after a tip was given to police from writer and social activist Shaun King. Black was arrested on the morning of January 5th, at a traffic stop for not using his turn signal. Black is said to be the driver of the car that shoot at Barnes and her family. After being questioned by homicide investigators, Black admitted to being the driver but said the person in the passenger seat opened fired on the car, he also said that the gun used was at his home. Sure enough when investigators searched his home, they found a 9mm pistol that matched the shell casing at the scene.

Harris County Sheriff, Ed Gonzalez has not given the name of the second suspect, but during trail the they use the letters “L.W” to identify him. Investigators are still trying to find the driver to a red pickup truck that was on the scene of the shooting. Investigators do not think that the driver of the red pickup truck, a white man in his 40s, had anything to do with the shooting, despite the 4 witnesses and Jazmine's mother and sisters saying that the white man in the truck had shot a gun at their car.

Since then Jazmine’s mother, LaPorsha Williams has thanked the world for their support during this tough time. “I’m telling you, every time I see one of y’all reach out for me, I can hold my head up. I can get up in the morning” says Williams. Barnes was laid to rest on Tuesday. January 8th, where the Harris County community and family filled the church. Barnes father, Christopher Cevilla makes this remake at the funeral: "God blessed me and my family with an angel. He's seen fit to take her back to heaven to be with him, but her job was done. I know she's smiling down, and God's going to get the glory out of everything."