Shawn Jackson: Mom of teen shot dead at graduation warned school about classmates who 'tried to kill him'

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES: In June 2023, Shawn Jackson, 18, and his stepfather, Lerenzo Smith, lost their lives when they were fatally shot by a 19-year-old graduate during a high school graduation ceremony.

The tragic incident occurred outside the Altria Theater in Richmond, situated on the outskirts of Virginia Commonwealth University. Amari Pollard is presently incarcerated, awaiting trial on murder charges related to Jackson's demise.

Months after the untimely deaths of Shawn and his stepfather Lerenzo, the teen's mother revealed the warning message she had issued to the school just one week prior to the shooting.

To provide context, the tragic incident resulted in five people being wounded by gunfire, with at least 12 more experiencing other injuries or receiving treatment for anxiety due to the chaos, according to Fox News.

What did Shawn Jackson's mother complain to the school about?

Richmond Public Schools has released a comprehensive 29-page report, accompanied by thousands of supporting documents and interview transcripts, investigating the events in question.

The report's release was mandated by a judge on Tuesday, following the school board's decision against making it public.

According to the report, Jackson's mother expressed concerns about her son's safety a week before the shooting, as revealed in an email to a counselor.

In the correspondence, she inquired whether her son could skip the graduation rehearsal practices. The counselor assured her that Jackson could be included in the commencement without attending the rehearsals "if you feel that it's too dangerous."

Notably, four months prior to the shooting, the mother had also emailed a complaint about safety procedures, outlining measures for her son's safety while attending in-person school.

She stated, "He was in the class with people who literally tried to kill him."

Furthermore, a year before the shooting, the mother had informed the same counselor and the school principal that they were still homeless due to their residence being targeted in a shooting incident involving students from Huguenot.

What did the former principal Robert Gilstrap say?

During a phone interview, Robert Gilstrap, the former principal, expressed his belief that it was unfair for the report to assign blame to him or the counselor for permitting Jackson to attend graduation. 

Gilstrap, now an assistant superintendent with the Virginia Department of Education, emphasized that the primary goal during his tenure was to ensure that students graduated. 

He asserted that he was unaware of the ongoing dispute between Pollard and Jackson, which dated back to their freshman year, and that he had not been informed of the mother's recent safety concerns.

Gilstrap, who stated that he only learned of the report's release when contacted by a reporter, contested the characterization in the report that he was "checked out" around the time of the graduation shooting as he sought another job. 

He highlighted his eight-year tenure, asserting that he was the longest-serving principal in Huguenot's history.

According to the report, the counselor informed investigators that she did not consult with the principal before assuring the mother that Jackson could participate in graduation. 

However, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras countered in a reply memo that the school system believes Gilstrap had delegated the authority to decide on Jackson's participation in graduation ceremonies to the counselor.

As of now, the school system has not responded immediately to an email seeking comment on the report's findings.

However, it did release a written statement, part of which reads, "Our shared commitment is to learn from this tragedy and continue to improve in order to further safeguard our students and staff."

It added, "We already have taken several steps, including updating our policies about who can authorize students to participate in a graduation ceremony."