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The family of Jenesis Dockery, the 8-year-old Black girl shot and killed by an 11-year-old at her babysitter’s house, has hired renowned national civil rights attorney Harry Daniels to fight for justice and accountability as Dockery’s family and the entire North Carolina community struggles with tragedy and outrage.
“Why did this 11-year-old child have a gun? What kind of responsible adult takes your child into her home, pledges to keep her safe, and then lets something like this happen? How many more children have to die until our leaders and the gun manufacturers start taking safety seriously?” asked Daniels.
“As a parent, these are the kinds of questions that keep me up at night, and after this, I’d be surprised if any parent could sleep,” adding “The Dockery family is going through hell right now and the least we can do for them and for little Jenesis is get the answers and the justice they deserve.”
Tragic Turn of Events: How an 11-Year-old shoots an 8-year-old at a “trusted” babysitter’s house
Jenesis’ father, Fon Dockery, left her and her 5-year-old sister in the care of the girls’ babysitter on July 25. The babysitter was a longtime friend of the Dockerys and had cared for Jenesis and her sister at her home multiple times previously without incident.
Less than an hour after dropping the girls off, however, Dockery received a phone call from the babysitter that Jenesis had been shot in the head. The Dockerys were later informed that the babysitter’s 11-year-old son was the shooter.
Despite the efforts of doctors at Cape Fear Valley Hospital and UNC Chapel Hill, Jenesis died two days later.
The incident is under investigation by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department.
“Fon and Kimberly Dockery have gotten lots of condolences and excuses. But after more than two weeks, they haven’t gotten any answers,” said Daniels. “That has to change and, if we have anything to say about it, it will.”
Friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe page in order to help defray funeral costs.