Mobile, AL (WKRG) — Losing a child can be hard for any parent, especially at Christmas.  The family of 15-year-old Jakory Smith gathered Wednesday morning to talk to us about his life.  Smith was killed early Christmas Eve morning by a bullet family members say wasn’t even meant for him.  Smith was a high school student also involved in JROTC.  He comes from a very large family.  He is the 4th of 15 brothers and sisters.  

Jakory Smith’s Mother spoke with News 5’s Chad Petri Wednesday about losing her son the night before Christmas. She said he was in bed asleep when the bullet hit him, “it wasn’t Christmas for me,” said Marie Salter Millerden, “I couldn’t enjoy it because all I could think about was my baby, my baby, my baby. My baby is in a cold morgue. My baby has no life in him. My baby is gone.” 

Another one of his brothers was in the apartment when the shooting happened.  “I ran down, I looked at the window and I looked at Jakory he was just holding his neck, holding his neck, we tried, we tried, my old sister grabbed a cover trying to keep the blood from going everywhere but it didn’t work, his eyes were wide open and I couldn’t do nothing to save my brother,” wept brother Laderrius Salter.   Funeral arrangements for Jakory Smith have been set for this Friday and Saturday.  The family has also set up a GoFundMe page for expenses.