Ja'Diamond Jones: 20-Year-Old Shot Dead Days Before Graduation In New Orleans
On Friday, May 12, 2023, Ja-Diamond Jones was walking with her fellow 20-year-old Imani Williams when they both were shot to death after leaving a hookah bar in the Treme neighborhood.
Ja'Diamond Jones was a young New Orleans mother looking forward to working as a nurse to care for Khaza, her 2-year-old son.
“It’s just heartbreaking that this happened to her,” Jones’ grandmother Lillie Thompson told local TV station WVUE. Ja-Diamond Jones, 20, was set to graduate with a nursing degree in a number of days.
But instead of a graduation, the family had a funeral. On Friday, May 12, 2023, Jones was walking with a friend when both were shot to death after leaving a hookah bar in the Treme neighborhood.
The other victim, 20-year-old Imani Williams , was a sophomore attending Southern University.
At a vigil for Jones, Jerome Jones, the victim’s father, said his daughter was so proud to be graduating from Nunez Community College. “She texted me, ‘Dad, you’ve got a nurse,” he told the TV station.
“(Ja’Diamond) never found her way into trouble,” her father said. “She never found her way behind a police vehicle or around a police vehicle or nothing.”
“Just because she was a young mother and she thought she couldn’t do it, that didn’t stop her. She prioritized her child. And it hurts so bad because she loved him dearly,” her grandmother said.
Police continue to investigate the shooting.
“God wanted her. God needed a smile,” the victim’s father continued: “In my baby’s words, I hope she -- I’m about to sound crazy -- died on the first bullet. Because I know she would have fought like hell for Khaza.”
Many family members of Jones have taken issue with comments made by Mayor Cantrell about recent shootings in New Orleans.
“None of these acts are random at all. We have to understand that women also play a role in violent activity in our city,” Cantrell recently told reporters. “They will remain under active investigation.”
Jones’ coworker and friend Korri Hankton told WVUE that the mayor’s comments can give the wrong impression about the shooting.
“This young lady was not a young lady that was involved in any type of drama. That wasn’t her M.O,” he told the TV station. “The least we can do is have some integrity and respect, and understand what we say can affect the family and friends of people who are watching.”
At its graduation commencement, the Nunez nursing program honored Jones by having her mother stand in her place.
“I was happy because she did it but at the same time I was kind of sad because she couldn’t see herself do it, but I know she was looking down. I know she saw it,” her mother told WWL-TV. “I know she was happy.”
In the end, Jones achieved her dream of becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse.
While Jones was an innocent victim, far too many women are killed by their lovers. What can we do to help prevent this?