EL CAJON, Calif. (KGTV) - Loved ones are mourning an East County teen, shot and killed outside an apartment complex in El Cajon Friday.
On Friday morning, Kenneth White, who was out of town, talked with his 18-year-old son Jasiah on the phone, confirming he'd drive him to test for his driver license in the middle of the week. White ended the call with, 'I love you.’
“He said, ‘I love you too, dad. Have a safe drive,’” said White.
Many hours later came a frantic call from his son’s friend.
“I couldn't understand him, because he was so hysterical. He said my son had been shot,” said White.
White says the friend had been with his son that night.
Police say around 10:20 p.m., outside an apartment complex on Dominguez Way, Jasiah got into an argument with another man, who pulled out a gun and shot Jasiah, before taking off.
Jasiah was rushed to a hospital, where he died. White learned on the phone that his youngest child had been killed.
“Feels like a car is parked on your chest, and you just can't lift it off, you know. That was my baby boy,” said White.
White calls Jasiah a happy kid who loved the outdoors and loved sports.
“Funny kid. He always had jokes and stuff,” said White. “A lot of his friends called him 'J-Flash' because he was so fast.”
Jasiah played football as a freshman at Valhalla High. During the pandemic, he was homeschooled, before he decided to take on two jobs to earn money.
He never gave up on his football dreams.
“He wanted to get his GED and go back to school, and get back into playing football,” said White.
That and other dreams were erased by bullets on Friday night. White says his son was shot multiple times, but doesn't know what he was doing outside the apartment complex. White believes he may have known someone living in that area.
Now, a father in mourning is appealing to the public for tips.
“My son was brutally murdered. I need answers. I want justice,” said White.
Police say the shooter was a light-skinned man who took off heading east on Madison Ave. Anyone with information is asked to call the El Cajon Police at 619-579-3311.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.
