‘Gone way too soon.’ Family holds memorial for 16-year-old New Brunswick teen fatally shot
Attendees were grappling with Jazariah Del Toro's sudden passing, many of them trying to make sense of what happened.
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Dozens gathered in New Brunswick on Thursday to honor the life of a teenage girl who was fatally shot this week.
Prosecutors have charged a 16-year-old boy in connection to the crime.
Family and friends released black balloons as a tribute to the memory of Jazariah Del Toro, known as Jazzy by her loved ones.
"Her favorite color was black. She wore it all the time," said Del Toro's father, Austin Smoot.
Attendees were grappling with Del Toro's sudden passing, many of them trying to make sense of what happened.
"Sixteen years old, gone way too soon. My Jazzy, she was a ray of sunshine...Her eyes lit up when she smiled and she brightened up a room. The family - we're just trying to make it through day by day," Smoot said.
RELATED: 16-year-old girl fatally shot in New Brunswick home
The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said police responded to a report of gunshots around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on Lawrence Street.
They later found Del Toro with a gunshot wound. She was taken to the hospital, but the teen ultimately died.
"Don't play with guns. They're nothing to be played with. It's a serious matter," Smoot said. "Somebody's life was taken. A kid's life was taken from another kid playing with a gun that somebody just gave him."
Del Toro's loved ones are leaning on each other for support.
"When Jazzy hugged, she always hugged a little bit longer. She didn't let you go as soon as you were done. She was still embracing you, and that's how I'm going to remember her," Smoot said.
The name of the teen accused in the shooting has not been released due to his age. If he were an adult, his charges would amount to aggravated manslaughter.
