LAWRENCE — Damonic Jones' black Chevy car was so new it still had paper plates on it when he struck a pole after being shot at in Lawrence on Wednesday night. Shots that lead to the 18-year-old's death.
Kristina Stone, Jones' aunt, wants people to know how hard working, loved, and charismatic Jones was.
"He was just a bright kid, with a future," Stone said. "He still had that baby face... but was such a hard worker."
Jones had recently acquired his GED from Lawrence Central High School and started a new job, Stone says.
"He did nothing but drive a car that he was proud of," Stone said. "This was a senseless act of violence."
READ | Two teens charged with murder in 18-year-old man's death in Lawrence |
Shots were reportedly fired at Jones' vehicle at 56th Street and Boy Scout Road where three other people in the car had exited the vehicle and ran south down Boy Scout Road, according to Lawrence Police Department public information officer Gary Woodruff.
Stone says the shooting was close to Jones' home.
"He was right down the street from home. He was on his way home," Stone said.
Jones leaves behind his mother and two younger siblings.
Stone says Jones mother had been having a tough time already — the passing of her eldest son was almost crippling.
"She [Jones' mother] buried her father in 2015, she buried her sister last April, her mother is ill with cancer," Stone informed RTV6. "Now she has to pay for the burial of her son."
Stone says Jones became "the man of the house" when his grandfather passed.
"He was the backbone of the family," she said.
Stone says the family is tied down with grief and bills, that the family has no financial means to provide Jones with a funeral.
While searching for answers, the family is also seeking financial help from the community to give Jones a proper burial.
Click here for Kristina's GoFundMe page.
"A mother is never prepared to bury her son," Jones' aunt said.
Police ask that anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Crime Stopper at 317-262-TIPS.
