As police continue investigations into the fatal shooting of Mitchel Jean of Barre St Joseph, his mother is speaking out for the first time, sharing how much she misses her son, who was always there for her.
Mitchel’s mother, Christina Jean, told reporters she is still trying to understand what happened to her son, who was 24.
“I don’t know what really happened. All I know is that somebody killed my son, but I don’t know what happened,” she said.
Jean said she and her son were very close. He visited her daily and showed no signs of trouble.
“My son was everything to me. Every day he used to come here and visit me. We used to talk together, chat, you know. But he never told me he was in problem with anybody, nobody at all.”
She remembered the last time she spoke with him, on the morning he died.
“The same day he died, in the morning when he came here, he told me he wasn’t feeling well because his spirit wasn’t there that day. That’s the only thing he told me.”
The loss has deeply affected the whole family, she said.
“We cannot deal with it. At night, I cannot sleep. I have to be crying, crying, crying. Every day crying. My children crying, my grandchildren crying, the father crying.”
Jean described the moment she found out her son had been shot.
“When they called me, they told me they shot my son, but they didn’t want to tell me the truth. They told me he was okay, that they shot him in the leg and told me to go to the hospital.”
She said she got to the hospital before the ambulance and waited outside.
“When they opened the back door, I saw my son. When I called him… nothing.”
Even though the family is grieving, Jean said she feels the police have responded well since the incident.
“I find the police doing a good job. From the time that happened, they have been going up and down, talking to us, calling us on the phone.”
Now, with only memories and many questions, the mother is asking for an end to the violence that is hurting young people.
“All those children need to stop. They need to stop. I was so in love with that little boy, and today I miss him. I miss him every day.”
The Major Crimes Unit has assumed responsibility for the investigation.
Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact the Major Crimes Unit at 456-3754. Information can also be provided anonymously through the Crime Hotline at 555 or via the Crime Hotline App.
