13-Year-Old Girl Killed by Boy, 15, in Accidental Christmas Day Shooting By Charlotte Phillipp

A 13-year-old Florida girl was killed on Christmas Day by another teen in an accidental shooting.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) confirmed to PEOPLE that 13-year-old Emony Nicole Jackson was killed on Thursday, Dec. 25, following an accidental shooting in Orlando.

Deputies were called to a home on the 2200 block of Okada Court after receiving reports of a person being shot at around 4:45 p.m. local time.

Emony was transported to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries.

While officials were at the scene, a 15-year-old boy approached them and allegedly said that he was “responsible for the shooting” and that it was an accident, the OCSO told PEOPLE.

The boy has been charged with manslaughter, per the OCSO.

Chrissy Boyce, who mentored Emony through the nonprofit program Elevate Orlando, recounted the horrifying moment she learned about the teen’s death to WESH.

“When I found out, I screamed and cried,” Boyce said. “It wasn’t very pretty.”

Emony’s cousin, Tramaine Henderson, told the outlet that the 13-year-old’s family has experienced several tragedies over the past decade, including the loss of her mother and younger sister in a car crash in 2017.

“She went through a lot in her life,” Henderson said. “But the lemons she was given, she made lemonade out of it.”

According to Boyce, Emony was excited to start high school and had aspirations to become a cheerleader — and Boyce had even chatted with a cheer coach on her behalf.

“I talked to the coach,” Boyce said. “But unfortunately, I won’t be able to get that information to Emony.”

“She had goals,” Henderson added of his young cousin. “She would never get to go to prom. She would never get to go to college.”

Emony’s family is now speaking out about the incident in the hopes that there will be “some accountability.”

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“He’s a child, but at the end of the day, his family will get to see him,” Henderson said of the shooter, whose identity has not been made public. “My family won’t get to see Emony anymore.”

“At 15, you should not have a gun,” he added. “I think there needs to be some accountability.”

For more information on safe firearm storage and the most effective ways to protect children from unsecured firearms, visit BeSMARTforkids.org.