18-03-2025
Lawsuit filed against family of child shooter in Cumberland County 8-year-old's death
The family of Jenesis Dockery announced Tuesday that they have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the mother and grandfather of an 11-year-old boy who officials said is responsible for the shooting death of 8-year-old Jenesis in 2023.
Jenesis' parents, Fon and Kimberly Dockery, were surrounded by friends and family holding signs and their attorneys Harry Daniels and Chimeaka White outside the Cumberland County Courthouse in Fayetteville, some 90 minutes after filing the civil suit in Cumberland County Superior Court.
Daniels said the defendants named in the lawsuit are Jenesis' babysitter, Chrystle Diane Michael, and her father Thomas Rosa Michael, who owned the weapon used in the killing.
Jenesis was shot July 25, 2023, at Michael's Eastover home in the 3300 block of Mercedes Drive and died of her injuries two days later at UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill.
The signs, held by Dockery supporters at the news conference called for accountability, the remembrance of the life of Jenesis and awareness for juvenile gun violence.
Some of the signs read "Accountability for Jenesis," "Justice 4 Jenesis," and ""We Won't Forget #Justice4Jenesis," and "We want justice. Gun laws need to change. Stop youth gun violence. Charge the adults."
Many were wearing orange ribbons, representing awareness for gun violence prevention.
'It could have been avoided, prevented in so many ways. From securing weapons to supervising children, this could have been prevented,' Daniels said. 'This is a very difficult time but it's necessary because we want to hold those accountable that's responsible.'
Related: Juvenile detained in Cumberland County shooting death of 8-year-old girl
Daniels said Jenesis' father never thought his two children would be in danger after dropping them off at the Eastover home that fateful morning. The family also has a 7-year-old daughter who was at the babysitters on the day her sister was killed.
'He took his two children over there and the last call that he ever thought he would receive is the call that he received, and this family has been ripped apart,' he said.
Daniels said he hopes that the lawsuit will prompt other families going through similar situations to seek justice.
Fon Dockery described and shared his family's struggles since Jenesis' death.
'Our family has been changed forever by a tragedy that was very well preventable.," he said. "I represent my family, who's been in therapy consistently for two years, trying to manage life without our daughter."
Daniels said that the 11-year-old responsible in Jenesis' death was charged by juvenile justice with involuntary manslaughter and larceny of two firearms and spent some time in juvenile custody. Chrystle and Thomas Michael were never charged.
'No arrest was made for the adults. The child who committed the act is back at home like nothing happened,' Daniels said.
The lawyers allege that before the shooting, the boy posted dangerous photos to social media, which should have been a warning sign for the Michael family to keep him away from weapons.
"If you look at the complaint … he's on TikTok with a gun beside his head, his face blurred out,' Daniels said. 'That should tell the family that you might want to make sure the guns are away from him.'
A photo in the complaint purportedly shows the 11-year-old with a weapon.
The civil complaint indicates the juvenile gained access to Michael's weapon during a visit to his grandfather's home.
According to the lawsuit, the Dockery family is seeking damages in excess of $25,000.
On Feb. 25, Cumberland County Democratic state Sen. Val Applewhite, along with Mecklenburg County Democratic Sens. Woodson Bradley and Caleb Theodros, introduced a bill known as the Jenesis Firearm Accountability Act, which would hold gunowners accountable for shooting-related crimes committed with guns that were lost or stolen.
The bill would penalize adults who do not report the loss or theft of stolen firearms and would require gunowners to report any weapons lost or stolen within 48 hours. The bill states that anyone who fails to report a weapon missing or stolen that is used in the commission of a crime would be charged with the same level of crime as the suspect, unless the gun's owner could prove in court a 'reasonable inability' to comply with the reporting law.
The bill has passed its initial reading in the state Senate and is now in committee.
Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Jenesis Dockery death family files lawsuit in child's shooting death
