MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — Family has identified the teenager killed in an early morning apartment complex shooting as 17-year-old Jakari Robertson.
The shooting happened around 3:00am inside or in the immediate area around a unit in the Wells Villa Apartment Complex, just off Woodcliffe Drive.
Jakari was taken to an area hospital where he later died from his injuries. His 14-year-old brother also sustained serious injuries in the shooting.
“I can’t believe it. I don't know if i'm in a nightmare or not," a cousin of the boys told FOX 17 Monday afternoon.
The 14-year-old boy is currently recovering at a hospital with family members by his side.
“The community knows who he is and we just ask that they continue to uplift him in prayer because he’s going through some things now,” the boys' aunt Trinell Scott told FOX 17.
Investigators spent most of the day combing the area around the apartment with a drone and a K9 unit. Officers on scene remained tight lipped regarding details of what happened.
Speaking about Jakari, Trinell Scott said, “I'm not going to stand here and say he was the perfect angel kid. He was just a normal teenager. He liked to play basketball, liked to play football, he liked to hangout with his younger brothers and play the video game.”
Scott says despite mistakes Jakari may have made in his past, he did not deserve to be killed.
“He had his flaws, every teenager has his flaws, but he’s a sweetheart," his cousin said.
Muskegon Heights Police Chief Dr. Joseph Thomas was not able to say much regarding the status of their investigation Monday afternoon. Chief Thomas did say that a special task force was in the process of following up on several solid leads.
“The gun violence is out of hand. It’s really sad," Trinell Scott said.
"It's just a plea to the community to stop because we’re burying someone and someone is going to go to prison. Lives are affected all around.”
