New Castle in mourning after shooting at graduation party leaves 1 dead, 2 injured
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (KDKA) — New Castle is in mourning after a shooting at a graduation party left a 15-year-old dead and two other teens hurt early Saturday morning. Police remain tight-lipped about the case, but KDKA is learning more about the teen who died.
Late Saturday afternoon dozens of people, young and old, released balloons into the air to honor three young lives struck by bullets, when shots rang out in the middle of a graduation party.
Jayliana Foster was at Bollinger Playground, also known as West North Street Playground, having walked across the stage at her high school a few hours earlier.
Related: One killed, two injured in graduation party shooting in New Castle
"I was like standing right there, and then, the next thing you knew, everybody started running, you know, when everybody starts running, you run too," Foster said. "You hear, 'Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, bang, bang, bang, bang,' it was like two or three different shooters."
Police got called to respond to West North by Lowry Street around 1 a.m. Saturday.
When they arrived, they found three teens shot.
First responders transported some of them by helicopter to Pittsburgh hospitals.
The Allegheny County medical examiner's report confirms one passed away: 15-year-old Damian Jackson.
Other families confirm to KDKA one of the others is a 13-year-old boy shot in the shoulder. He's now recovering at home. The third teenager remains hospitalized, but his condition unknown.
Jackson's mom told KDKA she was not ready to talk on camera, but said her son was all about family and would do anything to help someone. He leaves behind four brothers and a sister.
"I don't understand why you would pull up and shoot at a kids' party," Foster said.
Several hours later, you could still find crime tape surrounding the park, evidence markers on the ground, and all of the party decorations left behind.
"I just hope they get caught," Foster said.
Foster is praying for justice as she tries to process what happened at what was supposed to be a celebration.
"It's just sad, I mean, we can't have one single party without people pulling up and trying to ruin it for us," Foster said.
KDKA reached out to New Castle police for an update on the case, including if they have any persons of interest, but have not heard back at this time.
If you have any information about the shooting, call the New Castle Police Department at (724) 656-3570. Any tips can be submitted at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Tips can be submitted anonymously.
