ALTON, Ill. — The family of 17-year-old Jaiden Dahl is asking for the community’s help after he was shot and killed on New Year’s Day.
A memorial for Dahl takes up most of the sidewalk outside their Alton home where he was shot in his bedroom.
“It was 8:32 when I got the call to come home, and I literally work about two minutes away from here," said Dahl's mother, Brianna Boykin. "I came running home. When I got here, my baby was on the floor. He was screaming, 'Help me, Mom! Help me! Help me! Mom! Help me!' I was screaming for help."
He was taken to an area hospital and later flown to a St. Louis hospital where he died.
Alton police and Illinois State Police are investigating and believe Dahl knew the people who were there at the time of the shooting.
When she left for work that day, she had no idea a brief "I love you" would be their last conversation.
“I said ‘Hey, I'm headed to work.’ And he said, ‘I love you.’ And I didn't say it back right away, and he said it again, ‘I said, I love you.’ I said, “I love you too, boy. I'll be back.’ And that was about 2:50 p.m. It was the last thing I said to him,” Boykin said.
She said she has no idea why someone would do this.
“My son was respectful. He loved us. He loved his mom. He loved his brothers. He loved his nana and papa,” Boykin said.
Boykin said Dahl was in high school and loved sports. He was a great basketball, soccer and football player with big dreams.
“My baby always wanted to go to the NFL. If you knew my son and you knew his sports ability, he was capable,” Boykin said.
What she wants more than anything is to lay her son to rest in California, where they’re originally from, and then, she can focus on getting justice.
“I just want my baby to be put where he wanted to be,” Boykin said.
Her friends and family are trying to help her do that with a series of fundraisers online for funeral costs and transporting him to California.
“I wanted to help somehow. And just seeing the hurt that she had to deal with is hard. Because losing your child is not something any parent should go through. I don't feel any parent should be burying their child. I don't feel any parents should have to go through that. You know, our children are supposed to bury us,” family friend Tanya Osborne said.
Dahl’s grandfather Leon Clinton said it’s been a very difficult time for the family.
“We just want to be as supportive as possible. This is a hard-working woman, loving mother. She loves deep and loves hard and is really hurting right now,” Clinton said.
Boykin said she hopes to move back to California shortly after laying her son to rest there.
She and her loved ones have a message for the community.
“Put the guns down, please. They don't make you look cute. They can end someone's life in their own home,” Boykin said.
Click here to donate to help bring him back to California. Another GoFundMe was created to raise funds for Dahl's funeral expenses. Donate to that fundraiser here.
The family is also holding a memorial at 5:05 p.m. Monday at Hollywood Park Basketball Courts in Inglewood, California.
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