TUKWILA, Wash. — The family of Jashawna Hollingsworth spent the Thanksgiving holiday without the beloved high schooler and aspiring nurse, recently honoring what would have been her graduation at her gravesite.
"Everything is kind of left up in the air and emotionally - from the top of the family to the bottom of the family - not having any answers, no whys, no whos," said Larsell Hollingsworth. "It leaves us fresh, everything feels fresh like it happened yesterday. We don't have any answers."
On November 24, 2021 -- the day before Thanksgiving -- Hollingsworth was spending a day at the Southcenter Mall with her boyfriend and his family. Both she and her boyfriend were shot; Hollingsworth died from her injuries. Josiah Burnley, then a college freshman, was home for the holiday; he survived.
Both families are still dealing with the trauma of that day.
"They were both in Harborview. She was on one floor, he was on the other floor. And then he had to tell his girlfriend goodbye," Burnley's mother, Jeanine Burnley, said in an interview in February. That's when KING 5 first interviewed Burnley and Jashawna's mother, Jaala Brown, about their efforts to raise awareness of the case and ask the community for answers.
"I just want justice, that's all I have to say there, I want justice for my daughter, and peace in my life," Brown said.
Larsell said Hollingsworth was a model student and devoted family member. He doesn't understand how this happened to her, and hopes someone will come forward.
"She was literally going to school and going for her future," Hollingsworth said. "The what-ifs ... you can't close that door. When someone is caught it just rehashes everything all over again."
There is now a $4,000 reward available for information leading to an arrest. The reward poster states that anyone with tips can contact the Tukwila Police Department at 206-492-9007.