Boy, 17, Charged In Homicide Of Student Daily Jackson, Also 17: Police

NEW HAVEN, CT — A 17-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of another 17-year-old, police said Tuesday. At a news briefing Wednesday, the boy charged will be named as the case is headed to adult court, New Haven police spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart said.

On the evening of Dec. 3, Daily Jackson, a student at Riverside Academy, was found lying in a Shelton Avenue driveway suffering from a gunshot wound. Given immediate medical aid, the teen was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he died, police said.

At the time, police said video surveillance was found by Real Time Crime Center personnel "showing a person inside a suspect vehicle fire at Jackson as he was walking on Shelton Avenue."

Shell casings were located, and police Chief Karl Jacobson said that investigators identified a possible suspect from "grainy video" from a nearby home, and cops found the vehicle used in the shooting, which turned out to be stolen.

Now, five weeks after the fatal shooting, NHPD Detective Thomas Blaisdell of the Major Crimes Unit, was able to secure an arrest warrant for the 17-year-old suspect, according to Bruckhart.

The boy was taken into custody and was transported to the juvenile detention facility in Bridgeport Monday, Bruckhart said. His identity is being withheld until his case is transferred to adult court, which police expect will happen Wednesday.

Jackson's family will be in attendance at Wednesday's press conference.

Weeks before, another teen gunned down

Jackson's murder came two weeks after 16-year-old Uzziah Shell of New Haven was shot in the area of Goffe and Hudson streets in the Dixwell section of the city just after school dismissal time, and later died from his injuries.

A passing school bus with kids inside was struck by a stray bullet, but, as police noted, "The bus driver acted quickly and stopped several blocks away from the scene; no children on the bus were injured and members of the Yale Child Study were dispatched to assist with them."

Shell, Jackson were both high school students

Shell and Jackson were both students at Riverside Academy, an urban alternative school with an enrollment of 120.

After losing the teens to gun violence, New Haven schools Superintendent Dr. Madeline Negrón made a plea.

"I'm pleading with everybody out there," she said, explaining that the boys in the community are "different inside schools; they're engaged."

"People don't see inside the schools. They're different. But the minute they leave the doors, something happens, and they get caught up with the nonsense in our streets," she said

Riverside Academy principal Derek Stephenson shared a statement with Patch:

“We at Riverside Academy bear an insurmountable burden as we mourn the tragic passing of another of our students.

On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the life of Daily Jackson, a junior at Riverside, was taken from us as a result of senseless gun violence. Daily was a friend to many, but it was his allegiance, respect, and the unbridled alliance he had for the late Uzziah Shell that has immeasurably impacted our entire school community. Sharing his emotions and offering support to those who needed it were hallmarks of his many admirable characteristics.

Daily was a quiet, introspective, compassionate young man with a fierce sense of loyalty and protection of those he cared for, which made him a confidante to his friends, family, community, and entire Riverside 'family.' Steadfast in his fidelity and faithfulness to others, Daily brought positive energy to Riverside. We are now left with a void which we know can never be filled.

Today we process, reflect, mourn, and hope that Daily's tragic loss of life will serve as a reminder of life's fragility, as we keep him forever in our hearts.”