A city unnerved and upset by the fatal shootings of three teenagers since Jan. 27 learned Wednesday morning that a 15-year-old aspiring rap artist had been shot and died overnight.
Jamarion Gillette, who went by the nicknames Lil Dada and Dada, died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center after he was discovered shot and brought there Tuesday night , according to family members who spoke Wednesday to Knox News.
Gillette was a talented artist dedicated to improving himself through his music, his family members said. Music was his outlet, his cousin Marshia Gillette told Knox News. That was his comfort zone to speak on his life and what he done seen growing up in the community and being around the community, she said. He was good at it.
Austin-East Magnet High School, Vine Middle Magnet Middle and Sarah Moore Green Magnet will move to virtual learning for the rest of this week after an Austin-East student died overnight. He was the fourth student who has been killed in 2021 due to gun violence.
Students will return to in-person learning on March 22 after a planned districtwide spring break.
Jamarion Gillette, a 15-year-old, had been a student at Austin-East. He last attended school on Sept. 22, according to district spokeswoman Carly Harrington.
This is the second time the high school and middle school moved to virtual learning because of student deaths. Austin-East and Vine Middle schools flipped to virtual after Stanley Freeman Jr. and Janaria Muhammad s deaths. The shift gave students time to grieve.
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