The mother of a 14-year-old girl fatally shot in a Toronto home said her daughter “could light up a room” and had dreams of becoming a lawyer.
Speaking with reporters outside her house on Friday, Alicia Jasquith said she is devastated by the loss of her daughter, and will always remember the girl for her “joy and laughter.”
Lecent Ross was fatally shot inside a townhouse on Jamestown Cresent, in the area of Kipling Avenue and Albion Road, on Thursday morning. She later died in hospital.
The circumstances of Ross’ shooting are still unclear. Police would not confirm who fired the gun. Investigators say they’re not calling the shooting an accident, but are not looking for a suspect either.
Through tears, Jasquith said her daughter was a “very smart” girl. She said she doesn’t understand what happened, and needs “answers.”
“All I know is my baby is gone,” Jasquith said.
Ross’ 7-year-old sister is devastated and has been very emotional, Jasquith said, adding that her younger daughter told her, “Lecent is an angel looking down on us.”
The teen’s aunt called her tragic death an “accident”, saying Ross was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
Hours after the shooting on Thursday, officers said they had recovered an illegal .40-calibre Smith and Wesson gun from the scene of the shooting. Police say they will run tests on the weapon in hopes of uncovering the details of how the girl was killed.
“There's been so many senseless deaths because of guns, I don't know how many more people have to die because no one is willing to talk, this is like a hush-hush community,” Jasquith said.
Earlier Friday, the family’s pastor said he was “surprised and saddened” by the teen’s death.
“Everybody is sad,” said pastor Keaten Austin with the Abundant Life. “Everybody is just questioning why this happened.”
“This violence in Etobicoke, we need to address it because we bury too much of young brothers and older guys too,” the pastor said.
Meanwhile, Toronto police continue to canvass the neighbourhood searching for witnesses.
