ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – For several families in Orange County, the Christmas holiday was marked not by celebration, but by devastating loss.
During Christmas week, three teenagers were shot and killed in separate incidents across the county, including the death of a 13-year-old girl on Christmas Day.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, 13-year-old Emony Jackson was shot and killed inside a home on Okada Court on Christmas Day.
Deputies arrested a 15-year-old boy who they say admitted to firing the gun but claimed the shooting was accidental. He is now facing a manslaughter charge.
[BELOW: 13-year-old girl shot to death in Orange County on Christmas]
Emony’s cousin, Tramaine Henderson, says the family is struggling to cope with the loss as Jackson was at another cousin’s house.
“I don’t think Christmas will ever be the same,” Henderson said.
Henderson described Emony as a bright, kind-hearted teen who had dreams typical of someone her age.
“She was a good kid. She wanted to do cheerleading. She wanted to do all the things that any normal 13-year-old would want to do,” she said.
While the investigation is ongoing, Henderson is calling for accountability beyond the teen suspect.
“I don’t think it was accidental.” Henderson adds “I would like accountability and justice for all parties — from him, the guardian, and the house it happened at. He wasn’t old enough to purchase a gun, so it had to come from somewhere.”
Tragically, Emony’s death is one of at least three fatal teen shootings reported in Orange County during Christmas week.
On Christmas Eve, deputies say a 17-year-old was shot and killed near a condominium complex along PGA Boulevard near Oak Ridge. Then, on Sunday night, a 16-year-old was shot on 26th Street near Rio Grande Avenue and later died from their injuries.
[BELOW: 17-year-old shot, killed in Orange County just before Christmas, deputies say]
“It’s just sad that families have to face this, especially during the holidays when families are supposed to be together,” Henderson said.
Emony, an eighth-grade student, had already experienced significant loss in her young life. In 2017, she lost her mother and sister in a car accident. She had been living with her grandmother at the time of her death.
Henderson remembers her cousin as strong beyond her years.
“She had been through so much at a young age and didn’t let it change her,” she said. “She was still a sweet, normal teenager who just wanted to be a kid — and that was taken from her.”
All three shootings remain under investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities say they will release additional information as it becomes available.