Residents of Walt Whitman Houses are reeling today from yesterday’s shooting, which left a young mother dead. The woman, 19-year-old Jashaya Stanley, was shot in the chest three times at around 6:20 p.m. last night in front of 106 Carlton Avenue and was pronounced dead at Brooklyn Hospital, police said.
Police are still seeking Ms. Stanley’s boyfriend, Joshua Knox, 19, in connection with the shooting. A spokesperson at the 88th precinct said this morning that “he’s on the run” and that it’s unclear if he is still armed. During the fight before the shooting, Ms. Stanley threw bleach in her boyfriend’s face, police said, and he returned a short while later and shot her. The couple has a 3-year-old daughter.
The child is currently with family, according to a woman who identified herself as Ms. Stanley’s cousin, Lisa Stansfield, 30. Ms. Stansfield said the girl had not been told of her mother’s death.
“I don’t even know if her daughter’s going to remember her,” she said.
Mr. Knox was charged with trespassing and possession of marijuana in 2008, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. He was also arrested on charges of marijuana possession, drinking alcohol in public and resisting arrest in November of last year, and there was a bench warrant for his arrest stemming from a weapons charge in June 2010.
At the housing complex today, the mood was somber as people discussed the murder, the couple’s relationship, their family, the media presence and the deep hurt they now share.
“Everybody knew her,” Ms. Stansfield said. “She’s terribly missed.”
A candlelit memorial with flowers and a piece of cardboard for remembrances has been assembled on the sidewalk where Ms. Stanley was shot. Her friends, family and neighbors expressed frustration and anger at the loss of someone that they described as quiet, likable, funny and friendly.
“She was a nice girl, a sweet girl,” said Malik Johnson, 32, a 20-year resident of Whitman Houses who identified himself as Ms. Stanley’s Godfather. “It hasn’t hit me yet.”
Ms. Stansfield said Ms. Stanley was “always joking and always laughing,” and spent as much time as she could with her baby girl. She also had recently began going to church more often.
“She was trying to better her relationship with God,” Ms. Stansfield said.
On the issue of Ms. Stanley’s relationship with Mr. Knox, almost everyone interviewed by The Local remain tightlipped, saying they either didn’t know him personally, or didn’t know much about the couple’s life together. Ms. Stansfield, however, said she had a good idea of how her cousin felt.
“She was in love with him,” Ms. Stansfield said.
“They’ve had bad arguments before, but nothing like this,” Ms. Stansfield added. “This was an unnecessary act.”
Teen dating violence can be hard to detect, and is especially dangerous when there is a child involved, said Luis Matos, Director of Education and Community Services at the Center Against Domestic Violence.
“It’s difficult to pinpoint how many cases there are because so much abuse goes unreported,” he said.
Mr. Matos said that teens in abusive relationships may start acting out or skipping school, change the way they dress, constantly take phone calls from one person, or engage in risky behaviors like substance abuse.
“Community resources for domestic violence are not youth-friendly,” said Mr. Matos. “There isn’t enough dissemination of information specific to teens.”
Councilwoman Letitia James issued a statement about the shooting.
“The tragic death of such a young woman is senseless and heartbreaking,” Ms. James said. “Gun violence is one of the most horrifying and preventable crimes in our society. Today, a young child is left without a mother, and a family is forever altered. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Stanley family for their loss.”
Isabella Lee, president of the Walt Whitman Tenants Association, said both Ms. Stanley and Mr. Knox were raised in Whitman.
“I feel for both families,” she said. “There’s no reason for a young man to shoot any woman down in cold blood. There’s no words for that.”
About twenty minutes before the shots were fired, Ms. Lee said she saw Ms. Stanley from the front door to the Tenant Association’s office, just up the block from 106 Carlton.
The NYPD is asking that anyone with information about the case call Detective Orrego at the 88th Precinct at 718-636-6547 or Detective Fahrbach at the Brooklyn North Homicide Squad at 718-963-5373.
Kyle Thomas McGovern, a CUNY J-School graduate student, is a reporter and an assistant editor for The Local.
Susan Rohwer, a CUNY J-School graduate student, covers Fort Greene and Clinton Hill for The Local. Follow @susanrohwer on Twitter.
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