COVINGTON, Ky. — The parents of a 14-year-old boy shot and killed in Covington on Tuesday say the whole thing "could have been avoided."
According to the Hamilton County Coroner's Office, Amani Smith died at UC Medical Center after he was shot near Latonia Elementary around 3:30 p.m. A second teen was also taken to the hospital after the shooting, but officials have not provided an update on their condition.
Buddy Walton and Amber Smith, Amani's parents, said he was a funny, goofy and happy kid that made everybody laugh. He was one of 10 kids in a close-knit family.
"We have a very loving, supportive family," Smith said. "We're together in the household. We keep our kids close. That's why this is so painful."
The two said the shooting was a result of an incident at school a few weeks ago involving Amani's older brother. Smith said the situation turned into harassment involving phone calls and text messages.
"This is something we talked about for weeks with the school. We even went to the board of education," Walton said. "We talked to everybody about this. We did what we were supposed to do to try to alleviate this situation."
Smith said her concerns were ignored and disregarded, and she knew in her heart that something was going to happen. WCPO 9 reached out to Covington Independent Public Schools about the incident and they had no comment.
"This could have been avoided if proper procedures were taken with this, but it wasn't," Walton continued.
Walton called the shooting an "ambush," saying his older son warned Amani that they were waiting at his bus stop at the time of the shooting. Smith said Amani and his girlfriend, who they say is the second victim, were walking to his grandmother's house.
"I tried as a parent to protect my kids. I love my kids," Smith said. "... He's such a good boy and I had to see him laying there like that. They could've did something."
Walton said Amani was on the phone with his older brother at the time of the shooting.
His older brother said Amani's last words were "I ain't got nothing on me" before the phone dropped, Walton said.
"The other kids seen my boy laid out right there," Walton said. "All them kids' memories going to be messed up. My kid's brains was blown out right there."
Walton said multiple people were responsible for the shooting. Covington police said a 17-year-old was taken into custody Wednesday in connection with the shooting. The 17-year-old was charged with murder.
The 17-year-old was arraigned in court on Thursday, where a judge ordered they be held without a bond until a hearing to determine whether they will be indicted as an adult or as a juvenile.
Smith said there's "a lot of people with blood on their hands."
"I'm not stopping until justice is served," Smith said. "My son is not going to die going down like this. It's just not gonna happen."
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