The family of a 17-year-old gunned down in New Haven this week is putting out a call to stop the violence.
In the last two weeks, there have been four homicides in the city, two claiming the lives of teenagers who were friends.
“This is a very hard pill for us to swallow for us. He was the baby of the family,” Dalonna Jackson, sister of Daily Jackson, said.
The family is still heartbroken and grieved together Thursday night during a vigil just steps away from where Daily lost his life on Shelton Avenue Tuesday.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
“He was a sweet boy, a kind boy, a loving boy,” Dalonna Jackson said.
His sister remembers him as a kind young man, saying the shooting was “uncalled for.”
Jackson was one of two teens in New Haven killed in shootings in less than two weeks. Police say 16-year-old Uzziah Shell died after being shot off Goffe Street on Nov. 22.
Local
The two knew each other and both went to Riverside Education Academy, an alternative school for students in the city.
“The violence has to stop. It has to stop. It’s too much,” she said.
Raymond Jackson, who knew both teens personally, said outreach must happen to ensure others stay safe.
“We’re going to have to make it harder for somebody to target them. They can target them all they want, but we have to make it harder for them to just walk up and take a car and do a drive-by,” he said.
He said along with efforts from police, schools and outreach programs to guide teens to make better choices, parents need to also be a part of the solution.
“We have to get it into them that they’re not a chump, they’re not a punk if they stay at home,” Raymond Jackson said.
Jackson said he spoke with students at Riverside Academy, urging them to direct their future towards something productive, like getting entry level jobs.
“If they make it, they’re going to be better than they are," Raymond Jackson said.
As the outreach continues in the community, Daily Jackson’s family wants the shooter to be held responsible.
“This was wrong. It was uncalled for and we just want justice,” Dalonna Jackson said.
It’s still not known what led to Jackson’s death, but the family is hoping they’ll have answers soon.
New Haven police say there are no updates in either Jackson’s or Shell’s case.
