Recent high school grad killed in Dallas drive-by shooting

A Dallas teen was gunned down in a drive-by shooting just days after he graduated high school.

Jaylon Jackson was ready for the world as he walked across the stage June 1, receiving his diploma from Madison High School. Nine days later, he was murdered and police have no good clues.

“That’s my baby,” said Rashida Jackson. “They took my first born baby from me.”

The 18-year-old was shot and killed in a drive-by Thursday night in the 300 block of Ezekial Avenue. He was at a friend’s house and was waiting for him outside.

Kim Edd-Smith is the mother of the friend Jaylon walked a few blocks to see. Both were outside talking. Then her son went to get his wallet so they could leave.

“It could have been my baby. He had a few seconds to walk in the house and come back out to find his friend dead. He just cried all day” said Edd-Smith. “This violence needs to stop. We as a community need to come together.”

“He was my only brother,” said his sister, Kiarra Hood. “He didn’t do nothing to nobody.”

Rashida says her son was born with sickle cell, had a stroke at age 5 and received blood transfusions ever since.

“He did get into juvenile trouble. He got in a little trouble, but he wasn’t bad,” said Rashida. “He wouldn’t bother nobody. He didn’t hurt nobody like that. So I don’t know why they would do him like that.”

Jaylon’s mother and his mentor say they don’t know of anyone he was having trouble with.

“I just want to know why and what did he do to y'all to take his life and destroy his family,” pleaded Rashida.

Witnesses say they did hear the shooting, but they didn’t see anything since the street was so dark late at night.

Edd-Smith says she has been begging the city to put up more street lights along Ezekial, where the shooting happened.