Loved ones of teen killed in Jonesboro double shooting hold candlelight vigil

JONESBORO, Ga. - Clayton County police are searching for the gunman who shot and killed two teens at a Jonesboro area neighborhood earlier this week.

Family and friends of one of the victims held a candlelight vigil and balloon release in remembrance of the young man. 

Balloons filled the air Saturday night as candles lit up the parking lot where loved ones of 16-year-old Robert Shaw gathered to honor his memory. 

"They shot my baby in the back of his head and his neck," his mother, Shekia Shaw, told FOX 5.

Loved ones honor the life of 16-year-old Robert Shaw with a vigil Saturday night.

Shaw was one of two teens gunned down in the parking lot of Riverwood Townhomes in Clayton County on Monday. The shooting that happened in broad daylight. 

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"The person he was with…he was the target and my son seen him get murdered, and my son was running for his life," Shaw said.

She told FOX 5 she was at work when she got the call and hasn’t eaten or slept in the days since she watched her son take his last breaths.

"They told me my baby had an hour to live…so when I was there I was sitting right there holding my baby’s hand," the grieving mother recalled. "Only thing I do is cry…it’s just like something missing in my heart." 

Loved ones honor the life of 16-year-old Robert Shaw with a vigil Saturday night.

As friends and family members arranged candles to form the words Long Live Rob, the celebration of his life became a call to action to the youth in attendance:

"He was 16 years-old … do y’all understand that? Do y’all understand that it could be y’all?" one family member said.

Shaw described her son as a good kid with no criminal record who loved playing softball and doing dance videos on TikTok. She told FOX 5 he didn’t deserve to lose his life. 

"I just can’t take it. I just want whoever did this to my baby—I just want y’all to come forward," she stated.  

As Shaw and the rest of the family hope for closure, they’ve started a Gofundme to cover his funeral costs. 

No arrests have been made at this time. If you have any information that can help detectives, contact the Clayton County Police Department.