JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Matthew Jackson’s family moved back to Jacksonville in March. Just eight months later, the 18-year-old Riverside High School senior was gunned down Nov. 22 while working at a Westside Burger King.
The senseless violence left his family reeling.
“I beat myself up knowing that if I probably would have stayed where I was, my son probably still would be alive,” Jackson’s mother, Natasha Jackson, told News4JAX.
WATCH: Press play above to watch Aleesia Hatcher’s full interview with Natasha Jackson
She said the loss has hit Matthew’s twin the hardest because she knew the night her brother died that something was not right.
She came home and told her mother she just knew something was off with Matthew. He wasn’t answering his phone.
Natasha tried to call him, too. No answer.
“That is very, very unusual. He always answers for us,” Natasha said.
Then, the time Matthew normally would make it home from his Burger King shift came — and went.
“My mother’s intuition kicked in,” Natasha said.
‘Unbearable’
She headed straight for the fast-food restaurant on Blanding Boulevard near Collins Road, where Matthew had been working that night.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw the red and white striped crime scene tape around the store.
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She managed to get the attention of investigators, saying her son was in the store and wasn’t accounted for. They asked her for any identifying marks Matthew might have.
They went into the store, and when they came back out, she learned the awful news.
“I learned on the scene that my son passed away,” Natasha said.
She said she was in shock and that it was a bad dream.
“Unbearable,” she said.
Community support
She later found out her son was shot after intervening in a fight between two other men inside the store.
“The only thing that kind of brings me peace is knowing that that’s what he was at his core. He was a protector. He was full of love,” Natasha said. “But at the end of the day, I just want my baby back.”
Since news of Matthew’s death, the community’s outpouring of support has overwhelmed the Jackson family.
“It’s heartwarming,” Natasha said. “The prayers, the support is really what’s keeping me going.”
She said it’s impossible to wrap her son up into one word because he was “everything.”
“He never met a stranger. Every time he walked into a room he lit up,” Jackson said.
She is inviting the community to a vigil for Matthew at 5 p.m. Friday at T.S. Warden Funeral Home on North Main Street. She said his funeral at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at the same location is also open to the community.
A life cut short
Natasha Jackson said Matthew loved his family, especially his twin sister – who was just 4 minutes older than Matthew.
“He was always trying to find a way to take care of us,” Natasha said.
Matthew was set to join the Marines after graduating from Riverside High School in the spring. His older brother already serves in the Army.
She said their family was prepared for a Marines vs. Army rivalry between the brothers.
“It was cut so short,” Natasha said. “We’re devastated and heartbroken.”
She said the gunman who killed her son “took a piece of my heart.”
“It’s hard to get up some days,” Natasha said. “I know that I have to keep pushing because I have those other children.”
She said it’s also hard because of the bright future ahead of Matthew.
His goal after serving in the Marines was to own a food truck, Natasha said.
Now, she wants to start a foundation in his honor to help other youth pursue their dreams.
“He was really big on changing the narrative of the peers around him,” Natasha said.
Now, she’s calling on the Jacksonville community to learn from Matthew’s example.
“Jacksonville, if you want change, it starts within yourself,” Natasha said. “That’s the only way things like this won’t happen.”
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