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'They made a grown-up decision' | York County murder victim's mother speaks out one month after son's murder

A 15-year-old appeared in court for the murder of 21-year-old Jai'Shaun Young. WCNC Charlotte's Austin Walker spoke to Young's mother one month after the tragedy.

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — On Tuesday, a 15-year-old suspect appeared in court in York County for the murder of 21-year-old Jai'Shaun Young at the beginning of May.

The suspect is accused of killing 21-year-old Jai'Shaun Young of Gastonia, North Carolina in what the York Police Department has described as the city's first homicide investigation since 2022. Young was found shot to death inside a home along Galilean Road on May 6, 2024.

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Two teens are connected to Young's murder.  

According to the York County Solicitor's Office, in Tuesday's court appearance by one of the suspects, the judge found probable cause and the teen is still being held at the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice

Currently, no decision has been made on whether the teen will be tried as an adult. 

While the investigation continues to move forward, Jai'Shaun Young's family is still trying to come to terms with his death, wondering if they will ever understand this new normal. 

WCNC Charlotte's Austin Walker spoke to Young's mother one month after the tragedy.

"Why, why my baby," Shauna Burger said, fighting back tears. "[I'm] just trying to understand ... this was really my son." 

Shauna thinks about the time they spent together, wishing that time could have been longer.

Jai'Shaun left behind a 4-year-old son of his own. 

RELATED: Another teen arrested for deadly shooting in York

"He'll be okay and then he'll break into tears," Shauna said about her grandson. “I never get to see him have another birthday, make another song, hold his son, I have no new memories.”

Shauna continues the fight for justice in her son's murder. When asked about the two teenage suspects accused of murdering her son, she doesn't waiver.

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“I don’t care about their age, they made a grown-up decision," Shauna said. "You had to go out and get the weapon, so you had to make preparations and make grown-up decisions.” 

Jai'Shaun's family does not see the possibility of a "new normal" until there is justice. 

Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.

   

 

 

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