A third suspect was taken into custody Monday afternoon in the weekend shooting death of a 13-year-old Tuscaloosa, Alabama boy.
19-year-old Jaden Zaire Jenkins is charged with capital murder in the October 15, 2021, fatal shooting of Kei’lan Allen.
21-year-old Julian Lamont Gordon Jr. and 18-year-old James Deanthony Reed are already charged with capital murder in the boy’s slaying.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive, but said an older family member of Kei’la is believed to have been the intended target.
Family on Monday launched a GoFundme to help Kei’lan’s mother, Christina Barnes, relocate.
“Anyone who knows Kei’lan knows that he was all about peace and staying to himself,’’ said his cousin, 26-year-old Corey Prewitt. “He had no idea that his life was going to be taken from him, being in the safest location he could possibly be – his own home.”
Prewitt on Monday said Kei’lan’s mother, Christina Barnes, is thankful for the arrests but said, “Nothing is better than having your child still here with you.”
Kei’lan was in his bedroom when the shots were fired, wearing his beloved red Beats. A dictionary was open nearby.
Barnes called her son’s name repeatedly after the shots rang out. He was her first-born, and her only son.
“He didn’t answer after that, so she walked in the room, and he was slumped over,’’ Prewitt said. “She just grabbed him and was telling him, ‘I love you. I love you.’ An innocent child with a bullet hole in his head. “
Prewitt said in the GoFundMe that Barnes is at a loss for words and is looking to find new living arrangements for herself, and Kei’lan’s three younger sisters.
“There are no plans of her returning to the hold home she lost her son in, her oldest and precious loved child,’’ he wrote. “I’m taking matters into my own hands in hopes of raising enough money to get her a new home.”
“I’m asking that everyone keep my family in prayer, knowing that this is a very tragic moment and time for us to deal with,’’ Prewitt said.
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