8-year-old is shot dead by babysitter’s son, NC family’s attorney says. ‘Nightmare’
A beloved 8-year-old girl was shot in the head by her babysitter’s son, leaving a North Carolina family desperate for answers, their attorney told news outlets.
Jenesis Dockery later died in a hospital, days before her ninth birthday. She is remembered in online posts and news reports as a smiling and energetic child who couldn’t wait to dance.
“She just loved everybody,” her father, Fon Dockery, told WRAL. “She wanted to dance and just live life, man. She loved making TikTok videos.”
Dockery said Jenesis’ life was cut short after she and her 5-year-old sister went to their babysitter’s home on July 25. About an hour later, their dad received the tragic news that the older girl had been shot, according to ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner.
“It hurt my heart to think that I would be in a situation where I would have to comfort my youngest daughter,” Fon Dockery told WNCN.
Now, more than two weeks after Jenesis’ death, the child accused of shooting her faces a manslaughter complaint. Though the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office in an Aug. 10 Facebook post confirmed that the case had a juvenile suspect, it said it couldn’t share more information about the child.
Family seeks justice after daughter’s death
The family’s attorneys have said the person accused of shooting Jenesis was the 11-year-old son of her babysitter. In addition to manslaughter, the boy faces two larceny complaints based on allegations that he stole guns from a safe, the family’s attorney, Harry Daniels, said in WRAL video from a news conference.
Daniels said he’s pushing for accountability for those who may have allowed the child to have access to weapons.
“It is for sure that if they would have been more diligent and paid attention to the 11-year-old, they would have known that he had (a) fantasy about having guns and putting them on social media,” Daniels said.
On Aug. 10, the sheriff’s office said its “Special Victims Unit Detectives submitted a complaint to the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) alleging that two counts of larceny of a firearm and a charge of manslaughter were warranted. Detectives petitioned the Department of Juvenile Justice to seek a secured custody order for the offender.”
The state’s juvenile justice division, which reportedly is set to decide future actions in the case, in an emailed statement told McClatchy News it couldn’t share details on specific cases.
“However, when making decisions related to secure custody, staff with the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention take very seriously any information addressing whether a juvenile presents a danger to public safety and respond accordingly,” officials wrote Aug. 11. “DJJDP’s role is to consider the potential risk to public safety, the individualized needs of the juvenile and their risk of re-offending when making decisions about how to best address delinquency.”
Meanwhile, Jenesis’ death has left the Dockery family reeling. Her parents got tattoos in her memory but are left with an “immeasurable” absence, according to news reports and a GoFundMe page that says it’s raising money for the family.
“This has been a horrible nightmare, still doesn’t feel real,” her father said during the news conference. “It’s hard to put into words how we’re trying to navigate, three weeks later, for something to be done.”
Cumberland County deputies ask anyone with information to call them at 910-677-5477 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-8477. People also can visit fay-nccrimestoppers.org or use a smartphone application called P3 Tips.
Cumberland County, home to Fayetteville, is roughly 70 miles south of Raleigh.
Daniels’ law office didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for additional information on Aug. 11.
This story was originally published August 11, 2023 at 8:58 AM with the headline "8-year-old is shot dead by babysitter’s son, NC family’s attorney says. ‘Nightmare’."
