PGCPS teacher’s aide gunned down in DC, family seeks justice
WASHINGTON - Vashawn Jones was killed in Southeast over the weekend, and his family tells FOX 5 that his death is a murder mystery.
The 22-year-old worked as a Prince George's County Public Schools teacher's aide. His mother said he was throwing trash away in a dumpster across the street from the home he lived in with his grandmother when it happened.
They say a car drove up to the 4400 block of 3rd Street Southeast, people got out, opened fire, and hit Jones several times around 8:30 p.m. Sunday night.
Jones' family desperately wants to know who killed him, and why. They're questioning if this was a case of mistaken identity.
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Jones was living his dream, working as a teacher’s aide at his alma mater Barnaby Manor Elementary School.
This was his first year in the classroom after his mother, Toneah Harper, said he finished Job Corps.
Harper told FOX 5 her son was excited to work with students. She can’t understand why people murdered him.
"I look right here, and I see all these pictures of him from when he was a baby up until now," Harper said. "They took my baby away from me. He was only 22 years old. So, it's like I just don't know ... I have no idea why anyone would kill him."
Harper wants the killers to turn themselves in.
"You take someone away … A lot of people that loved him. He was not just a number. He was not just a body or just a person. That was my son," she added.
D.C. police are still investigating the incident.
They are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to an arrest in this case.
The Jones family thanks the Barnaby Manor Elementary School principal for their support.