Yesterday evening, a 13-year-old girl and her mother were murdered in an East Oakland apartment. During an argument, Rebecca Jenkins’ boyfriend allegedly shot and killed both Desiree and her mother, Rebecca, 44. Another youngster was shot and transferred to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, according to the Oakland Police Department.
Desiree’s best friend, according to family and friends, was the second kid who was shot. The incident occurred on Birch Street close to 94th Avenue at around 11 p.m. on a Saturday. Desiree, a seventh grader at Montera Middle School, was murdered alongside her best friend while they were having a sleepover.
Two additional children, ages 7 and 1, were also in the apartment at the time of the incident, although neither was hurt. KTVU has discovered that Antonio Lamont Powell, 46, the mother’s boyfriend, has been detained on charges of murder and assault with a firearm.
Denise Jenkins’s father and grandmother gave their consent for her to speak to KTVU. The teen witness was only 15 years old. “I gotta stay strong for the little ones and step up,” said Denise. Family relatives say domestic abuse was to blame for the deaths of Denise’s mother and sister, who were both 13 at the time.
“They were having a little argument, but I didn’t think it would go this far,” said Denise. When asked where she was on Saturday night, Denise replied she was at home with her mother, her mother’s boyfriend, three younger sisters, and Desiree’s best friend. Denise heard gunfire at 11 o’clock that night.
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“Basically I was laying in bed and I just hear multiple gunshots. So my instinct just to get up because I need to make sure everything is ok. That’s just how I am. And then I saw him just screaming raging, not saying no words, just raging,” said Denise.
She rushed into a bedroom, where she dialed 911. It’s official: Rebecca and Desiree are dead. A friend of Desiree’s was also injured in the gunfight and rushed to the hospital for treatment. Desiree’s father, Jaron Jenkins, summed up his daughter well in a Facebook message: “Denise was a respectful, lovable, energetic go-getter.”
In addition, he labeled her a “future entrepreneur” and predicted that she would own her own hair salon. “She was a very kind person. She wasn’t rude or nothing. She was there for people,” said Denise. “She loved braiding hair. She was good at it.”
In addition, Denise would like everyone to know that her mother was a rock for her. “She would stand up for us. She was there for us. She treated us well. Even if she didn’t have enough for us, she always got us what we wanted.”
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