Houston mother of 12-year-old speaks after man, 18, arrested for allegedly shooting her son to death
SUNNYSIDE, Texas - It’s a tragedy that left a 12-year-old dead and an 18-year-old arrested and charged with his murder.
On Wednesday, FOX 26’s Damali Keith talks with the 12-year-old’s mother in an emotional interview.
How can it be anything other than emotional? Just hours ago, Joquita Lott was told in a phone call her 12-year-old baby was never coming home.
"I just still can’t believe it," Lott cries.
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Freddrick Johnson was simply walking home from the corner store, but the 12-year-old never made it.
"I mean it hurts because it was wrong. It hurts. It’s really hard for me to talk about it," the mom in mourning says while wiping tears.
Lott says her son was with a friend on Labor Day, and she says she’s told Fred asked 18-year-old Kahlis Willis for a dollar, so he could buy a soda. According to Lott, Willis just started coming around the neighborhood a month or two ago and was familiar with her son.
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"After my son asked him for a dollar, the dude told him I left my wallet in the car. Let’s walk to my car. So when he went to his car my son walked with him. He had his arm around him like he was talking to him, and he put the gun to his head and just killed him," Lott explains.
Willis has now been arrested and charged with murder, and he’s being held with no bond.
This grieving mom had to find out by telephone her 12-year-old had been shot to death.
"All I kept saying, are y’all sure my baby’s gone, and they kept saying he’s gone. That’s all they kept telling me is he’s gone," cries Lott.
After living in the Sunnyside apartment complex for nearly three years, Lott and her children just moved out of their apartment on Thursday. In fact, until the morning of the shooting they had been staying with a neighbor.
Johnson was staying with his best friend that night, so it would be easier for him to get to school, his first year of middle school. The young boy was super excited about it, but ultimately he only had an opportunity to experience three weeks of middle school before he was murdered.