NORCROSS, Ga. — A group gathered Wednesday night for a vigil after a 13-year-old was gunned down just feet away from his home in Norcross.
There are a lot of facts Gwinnett Police are still gathering on the case, but a witness and Jaeden Travis' mother shared details with 11Alive about the night the teen was shot.
According to Gwinnett Police, the shooting happened around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday on Valentine's Day. They claim a fight broke out between the teen and several others.
A witness shared with 11Alive that a car pulled up and two teens stepped out. Jaequitta Milerson, Travis' mom, said his dad tried to keep him from going outside.
"Telling Jaeden, 'you know don’t leave in front of your house. You know how teenagers are they’re hot-headed, they wanna show they’re not punks,'" she said.
The witness also said he saw Travis carrying what appeared to be a weapon, walking up towards the other boys.
"Yeah, he had a BB gun, he did," according to Milerson.
The witness claimed all three were going back and forth before one of the teens reached into the car, pulled out a gun and fired four shots at Travis. Authorities said Travis died at the hospital.
The mom claims one of the boys pulled out a gun because they saw her son with a BB gun. 11Alive has reached out to Gwinnett Police to find out where they are in the investigation and to confirm if Travis did in fact have a BB gun.
Milerson also claimed the others involved are saying the shooting was in self-defense. However, earlier in the day, Gwinnett Police said they were still investigating the shooting; no suspect names have been released at this time.
11Alive will continue to follow up with police about this story to get more details about what led up to the shooting and where the case stands.
As for Milerson, she doesn't want to see other families holding a vigil after losing a child.
"We’ve just got to stop the violence, put the guns down, it don’t solve nothing, everybody’s family ends up hurt," she said.
Teen shot and killed near his Norcross home on Valentine's Day: Gwinnett Police
