Death of Rayshard Brooks' nephew: Mom begs son's friend to speak up about shooting

ATLANTA - Stardrecous Brooks is convinced a teen who was with her son the night he was killed has crucial information about the case.

"I need to know the truth. I need for people to stop incriminating my son's name, and what we want is justice for my son," Brooks told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes.

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Brooks urged her son's friend to come forward a week after 16-year-old Jakari Brooks was shot and killed while trying to steal a motorbike at a residence on Cato Street in Northwest Atlanta.

Jakari Rayshard Brooks (Courtesy of the family)

"We need to know the truth, and the only one that [can] give that to us is you," Brooks said. "Come forward and do the right thing for J.K."

Jakari's mom told FOX 5 that her son's friend lived with her family before the shooting and was with Jakari the night he was killed.

Jakari's brothers went looking for him when he didn't return home. They discovered his body behind the Cato Street residence.

A relative of the homeowner told FOX 5 that someone at the house shot Jakari in self-defense, but Jakari's family didn't believe it.

Jakari's mom said a detective told her Jakari was shot in the back. Atlanta Police would not confirm Brooks' claim. She hasn't seen Jakari's friend since the shooting, and believes he was there when her son was killed.

"The thing about it is there are a lot of discrepancies in what was said, and a lot of things don't add up. As a mother, my heart really don't sit right with what he said," Brooks explained.

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The family said the teen was the nephew of Rayshard Brooks, a Black man who was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop at an Atlanta Wendy's in 2020.