The 13-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet after a fight broke out at Alderwood Mall in early July.
LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Family and friends of 13-year-old Jada Woods Johnson, who was shot and killed earlier this month, paid their final tearful tributes at a memorial service held Sunday at the Community Life Center in Lynnwood.
Woods-Johnson’s family said she was full of life, and although their time together was too short, her impact will never be forgotten.
For Woods Johnson, the world was a stage, even at a young age, and a video montage played at the ceremony showed her performing at different ages.
“The sparkly stuff, the singing, the dancing and the big curly hair. She always wanted to be a princess and a star, and she was definitely both,” her mother, Tabatha Johnson, said.
“I’ll always have fond memories of the sleepovers where we turned the house into a stage for singing and dancing, and the cherry wood floors became an ice skating rink,” said Cari Huffman, Woods Johnson’s cousin.
She left her mark on those around her, and for Woods Johnson’s loved ones, the hard truth is that she is no longer with us.
“I am truly, truly going to miss her. I can’t believe this is real. This cruel reality tells me it’s not, but I believe her heart is still beating,” said Ember Thorson, another cousin of Woods-Johnson’s.
Woods-Johnson’s life was cut short on July 3 when she was hit by a stray bullet in the food court at Alderwood Mall after a fight broke out nearby.
“When I heard the news about Jada I didn’t know how to react. All I could do was cry. Jada was the sweetest person,” said Alex Savoy, a friend of Woods-Johnson’s since the fourth grade. “Jada just wanted to have fun with her friends that day. No one knew she would lose her life at such a young age and that her siblings would have to grow up without their sister.”
The 13-year-old girl was looking forward to being in eighth grade in a few years and learning to drive a car, but now her family is being denied the opportunity to see her grow up.
“It breaks my heart to think that none of her brothers or sisters will ever have memories with her,” her mother said. “The world has truly lost an angel on earth.”
The suspected shooter, 16-year-old Samuel Gizau, has been charged with murder as an adult. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to face a separate court hearing on Aug. 23. A tentative trial date has been set for Sept. 6.
KING 5’s Cornelius Hocker contributed to this report.
