PONTIAC, Mich. — Jurors in Oakland County Circuit Court on Tuesday convicted JaJuan McDonald, 21, and Justin Rouser, 23, of first-degree murder and multiple related charges in the shooting death of 7-year-old Ariah Jackson outside her Pontiac home in March 2022.
Prosecutors said Ariah was riding in a vehicle with her mother, Lashawn Jackson, when McDonald opened fire from another car driven by Rouser. Three other children were inside the vehicle at the time but were not injured. Authorities said McDonald and Rouser were associated with the 4-Block gang.
Police said Ariah Jackson was returning home from school with her mother at about 4:50 p.m. on March 18, 2022 and pulled into the driveway outside the family’s home near Paddock and Wilson. A passenger dressed in black hung out the window of a late model orange Chevrolet Blazer and fired eight shots at the family’s vehicle, Ariah’s mother told investigators.
Deputies took Ariah to the hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later, according to authorities. Her mother was injured when a bullet grazed her head but declined treatment at the hospital and was released. Three other girls, ages 6, 7, and 11 were in the vehicle but were not injured.
“This conviction holds her killers accountable, but it will not bring Ariah back or heal the grief felt by her loved ones,” Karen D. McDonald said in a statement. “We have lost too many children to guns. We owe it to Ariah and all victims of gun violence to finally address this public health crisis.”
McDonald and Rouser were each found guilty of:
- One count of First-Degree Murder
- Four counts of Assault With Intent to Murder
- Five counts of Felony Firearm
Sentencing review hearings are scheduled for March 3 and March 10. Prosecutors have 21 days to seek life-without-parole sentences for both defendants, consistent with Michigan law governing juvenile and young-adult offenders.
Justin Jayshon Rouser was 19 at the time of the incident and JaJuan Calvin McDonald was 17.
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