Shooting in Dallas ends loyal contact with son

This story is part of The Dallas Morning News Murder Project focused on sharing the stories of all the people killed in Dallas in 2024.

It was very important for Kenneth Jernigan Jr. to stay in touch with his mother.

Lots of texting, phone calls, videos shared. But there was a new level of commitment on both sides after Delilah Shed's husband died in 2023 and Jernigan's dad, his paternal grandfather, died shortly after.

“He wanted to know where I was and what I was doing,” Shed said. “That was our main concern, just to communicate.”

Jernigan, 21, died on Feb. 6 after being shot in a northeast Dallas parking lot. Shed has to reread the old messages and rewatch the videos of him dancing.

Jernigan was the music in her life. “He always sang in the mornings and when we were driving in the car,” Shed said.

After losing her husband to a heart attack, Jernigan was her pillar of support, often offering to pick up his younger brother from school so Shed could rest after a long shift at a downtown Tom Thumb.

“He was so protective of his mother,” she said.

To her and her friends, Jernigan was “KD” for Kenneth D'Wayne, a guy who loved football and old-school R&B.

“He was a cheerful person, he was happy,” Shed said.

In February, Jernigan had completed training for a new warehouse job and was about to start work.

Mother and son often did the family's laundry together. On their last day, two of Jernigan's friends stopped by the laundry room. The work was almost done and Jernigan asked his mother if he could go with the others.

Despite her sadness, Shed can't get over how nice it was: her 21-year-old son had asked her if it would be okay to go out with his friends for a while.

“I said, 'Yeah, baby, as long as you call me, you can go,'” she said. “I let him go.”

The friends drove to North Dallas and Jernigan texted his mother to say he would be home late. But that night, the police came and knocked on the door with devastating news.

She had a week off and then went back to her job at the grocery store. She is still trying to recover financially from the funeral costs.

“I couldn't catch up,” she said. “You don't prepare for something like that.”

Chauncey Ross was arrested a month after the shooting and is being held in Ellis County, according to online records. He was charged with murder in Dallas County in May.

“Justice has been done,” Shed said. She doesn't take that for granted. Jernigan's cousin was murdered last year and his killer has not yet been found, she said.

Jernigan is buried in Irving and Shed goes to his grave every sixth of the month.

“It’s nothing a mother can’t do,” she said.

Shed keeps his pajamas – “I didn't wash them” – and his wallet with the $3 he had with him when he died in her room.

“These are valuable things to me, and his ID,” she said, her voice breaking.

In June, Shed's sister celebrated her birthday and her nephew's 22nd. The cake was decorated with their names, Quetta and KD.

“He was loved, he was loved, he was loved,” Shed said.