A mother whose teen son died in a school shooting at Arlington ISD’s Lamar High School recently spoke to local media about her struggles since losing her son.
Ja’Shawn Poirier, 16, was killed by a classmate around 7 a.m. on March 20, about 40 minutes before classes started and five minutes before two school resource officers arrived for the day.
Rashone Jacob told NBC 5 DFW that her son’s death came just after her family moved to North Texas.
“We literally just moved down here; we’re only eight months in,” Poirier’s mother said, per NBC 5 DFW. “Moved from Pontiac, Michigan.”
She found out her son had been shot through a phone call from a family member.
Jacob learned her son had died from a surgeon at the hospital her son was rushed to. She told NBC 5 DFW she started crying before the doctor finished updating her on her son’s condition.
Friday would have marked Poirier’s 17th birthday, something Jacob said contributes to her feeling the worst pain she has ever felt.
“My son wasn’t targeted,” she told NBC 5 DFW. “It wasn’t over a girl or anything. It was just a random shooting.”
Poirier was sitting on steps outside the school when another student pulled out a shotgun and began firing.
A teenage girl was also taken to the hospital with minor wounds after a passing bullet grazed her cheek.
The 15-year-old shooter, who remains unnamed because they are a juvenile, was swiftly apprehended by Arlington Police without incident. The teen was charged with capital murder.
Jacob has anguished over her son’s seemingly random death, noting that he was a normal kid who loved sports and video games.
Her grief highlights the horrific cost of rising murder trends in the Metroplex and in Dallas.
According to the Dallas Police Department’s crime analytics dashboard, murder and non-negligent manslaughter have increased by 22.4% year-over-year. DPD reported 93 cases this year as of Thursday afternoon, 17 more than last year at this time.
