ABC13's Courtney Carpenter spoke with the family of 16-year-old Jacob Cain. His mother said she is determined to figure out who did this to her son and why.
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"Been up all night, watching my doors, saying 'My baby going to come through that door,' and he's not. My child is laying in a medical examiner's office waiting on somebody to tell me what happened," Shatammie Hicks told ABC13.
Hicks' world turned upside down when she got word that her son was found shot to death in a wooded area in an Atascocita neighborhood.
"I don't know what happened. All I know, I pulled up on the scene and my son was in the woods dead," Hicks said.
Investigators said they got a call from a neighbor who told them she heard gunshots and that some of the rounds hit her house in the 5300 block of Deer Timbers Trail at about 6:20 p.m.
ORIGINAL REPORT: 16-year-old found dead in wooded area after neighbor reported gunshots in Atascocita, deputies say
Teen found dead in Atascocita after neighbor reported gunshots: HCSO
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While law enforcement officers were trying to figure out where the shots came from, they discovered the teenager's body lying in the grass in the woods at the end of the street.
Jacob was not alone when the shooting happened, investigators said. The other teens he was with took off after the shooting, so investigators don't have much information about why Jacob was shot or who the suspect is, deputies said.
"As to what he was doing down here, we believe that he was down here with several other individuals prior to the shooting. None of those individuals stuck around afterwards to talk to anyone, so we are in the process of trying to identify people that he was with prior to the shooting," Det. Jason Brown said. "Once we do that, we will probably get a better idea about exactly what went on."
Detectives said teens often hang out around the dead-end street in the neighborhood.
So far, it's unclear if the shooting was an accident or not, or what the motive may have been.
Jacob's mother says she'll she keep pushing to find out.
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"His name will not go in vain. Not as long as his mom is living. I'm going to find out," Hicks said.
She said her son was a sophomore at Atascocita High School. He loved to play sports and was excited to be part of the automotive program at school.
Hicks said the loss of her youngest child is devastating.
"I have five girls and that was my only son. That was my king and y'all took him and I need you to come forward. Whoever knows. Whatever you know," Hicks said.
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