13-Year-Old Girl Killed by Boy, 15, in Accidental Christmas Day Shooting

A 13-year-old girl in Florida was killed on Christmas Day after another teenager allegedly fired a gun in what authorities say was an accidental shooting.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said 13-year-old Emony Nicole Jackson died on Thursday, Dec. 25, after she was shot at a home on the 2200 block of Okada Court in Orlando. Deputies responded to the residence around 4:45 p.m. following reports that someone had been shot.

Emony was taken to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

Investigators said a 15-year-old boy approached deputies at the scene and allegedly told them he was responsible, insisting it was an accident. The boy has since been charged with manslaughter, the sheriff’s office said.

Chrissy Boyce, who mentored Emony through the nonprofit Elevate Orlando, told WESH she was devastated when she learned Emony had died.

“When I found out, I screamed and cried,” Boyce said. “It wasn’t very pretty.”

Emony’s cousin, Tramaine Henderson, told the outlet the family has endured multiple tragedies over the last decade, including the deaths of Emony’s mother and younger sister in a 2017 car crash.

“She went through a lot in her life,” Henderson said. “But the lemons she was given, she made lemonade out of it.”

Boyce said Emony was looking forward to starting high school and hoped to become a cheerleader. She said she had even spoken with a cheer coach on Emony’s behalf.

“I talked to the coach,” Boyce said. “But unfortunately, I won’t be able to get that information to Emony.”

“She had goals,” Henderson added. “She would never get to go to prom. She would never get to go to college.”

Henderson said the family is now speaking publicly in the hope that there will be “some accountability.”

“He’s a child, but at the end of the day, his family will get to see him,” he said of the 15-year-old, whose identity has not been released. “My family won’t get to see Emony anymore.”

“At 15, you should not have a gun,” he added. “I think there needs to be some accountability.”

For more information on safe firearm storage and the most effective ways to protect children from unsecured firearms, visit BeSMARTforkids.org.