Elkhart Teen Remembered After He Was Found Shot and Killed
A mother is asking for justice after her teenage son was found shot and killed near railroad tracks in Elkhart Saturday.
Jaiden Cooper, 16, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds
just after midnight on Saturday. Police say they found his body alongside railroad tracks in the 900 block of Wagner Avenue.
“My son was brutally murdered, and he sustained multiple gunshot wounds,” Jaiden’s mother, Christy Johnson, said Monday.
Johnson says that her son was well-known throughout the community, especially at The Crossing in Goshen, where he went to school.
“You took away somebody that was important to me as well as to others. My son mattered, and he did not deserve to be killed in the manner of which he was on those railroad tracks,” Johnson said.
Many of Jaiden’s teachers and classmates are also in disbelief after hearing of Jaiden’s death. On Monday, the group visited Jaiden’s memorial, which now lies just outside of the railroad tracks where his body was found.
Crossing instructor Mark Neterer called Jaiden’s death “horrific” and said he can’t believe he’s gone.
“He was just a really awesome kid,” Neterer said.
In his memory, students also made a memorial of their own at The Crossing where Jaiden fixed a wall inside the school. Kylie Stephenson, Jaiden’s classmate, says Jaiden was more than a friend.
“He’s like the big brother you’ve never had,” Stephenson said.
Also stopping by school Monday to remember Jaiden was CEO and Founder of The Crossing Robert Staley, who says he knew Jaiden personally.
Staley reportedly met Jaiden last year when he joined the school and even helped with some renovations at Staley’s home.
“He and I had a relationship. It’s devastating, and we are all heartbroken,” Staley said.
Johnson says she cannot believe someone would shoot her son and leave him to die in the middle of the night alongside railroad tracks. Now, she is asking the community to help solve her son’s murder and for the killer to turn themselves in.
“I want justice served. I want the community to speak out. This could be anyone’s son. Not just my own. Bullets do not have an eyesight, but the shooter does have a name, and I would appreciate it for justice to be served. Somebody speak up and tell what happened that night on those tracks to my son,” Johnson said.
Police are still investigating the case and say that at this time, no suspects have been arrested. A vigil was held in Jaiden’s memory in the 900 block of Wagner Avenue at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Find the original WNDU article here: https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Remembering-Jaiden-Cooper-Elkhart-teen-remembered-after-shot–killed–559877181.html