A Georgia father is blaming a bunch of teens for the Valentine’s Day gunshot death of his 13-year-old son. Harold Travis claimed in an interview with FOX 5 Atlanta that his son Jaeden was killed by the teens after they challenged him to go outside for a BB gun battle.
Travis said his wife and he had even reported the adolescent multiple times for picking on the deceased victim, and that’s why he challenged his kid to go outside. And even though Travis claimed he warned Jaeden to stay inside, he claimed his kid disregarded his advice and went outside. A few seconds later, Jaeden was shot to death.
“They couldn’t save my baby. God didn’t save him either. I begged God to save my son,” Travis said. The grieving father also said he ran after his son when he stepped out of the house.
“By the time I got to the middle of the street, I heard ‘pow pow pow’, and my son fell. They had shot him right here,” Travis said.
In the wake of the shooting, Travis said he contacted paramedics, adding that the teen he identified and other juveniles fled the scene in a car. “I said ‘Don’t you close your eyes on me. Don’t you die on me, boy. Do not close your eyes, Jaeden,” an emotional Travis said.
Jaeden later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. The deceased teen’s parents believe they know the motive behind the shooting as well as the suspect. “For the last three years, we got police reports out on this same kid,” Jaeden’s mother said. “He’s been after my baby. They jumped him one time, and I had to jump in it.”
Jaeden’s parents also said they know why the known teen and other juveniles were always picking on their son. “They were just jealous of him, jealous of what he would wear,” Travis said told FOX 5 Atlanta.
Authorities are yet to establish the motive behind the fatal incident. Arrests are also yet to be made.