Memorial held for Duval Street shooting victim

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Family members set up a small memorial outside the Knights of Columbus on Duval Street Wednesday.

Officials said 18-year-old Jakaria Fox and two relatives were shot inside the building during a Mardi Gras party Tuesday. Jakaria died from his injuries.

Cory Fox said he was outside when he heard the gunfire.

"I had left and went and got me something to eat and came back. I was just fixin’ to get out the car, and I heard gunshots," Fox said.

Fox said the three young men had gotten into a fight with someone else at the party earlier, and Fox believes his cousins were the intended targets of the shooting.

"The lights were turned on. So the dude that was shooting at my cousins and shot all three of my cousins, he was aiming at my cousins," Fox said.

Jakaria, who was killed, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of another teen two years ago.   

Markel Anderson was gunned down outside the Michael Figures Community Center in 2009. Police said the teenager was not the intended victim.

Fox never had to serve penitentiary time for the crime because the judge decided on an option intended to allow a young person to get his life back on track.

"It's a program called Front End Diversion, where they're trying to get young people who are hopefully able to be rehabilitated. We did not agree to Front End Diversion. We thought he needed to go to the penitentiary for the murder of Markel Anderson, but the judge thought differently and put him on Front End Diversion," District Attorney Ashley Rich said.

 Fox said his cousin was taking advantage of the break he received in court. 

"He wasn't focused on the negative that he had to do probation for something he didn't do. He was focused on the positive of his life trying to make his life better," he said.    

If you have any information on Tuesday's shooting call Mobile police.