On the day before Thanksgiving, November 24, 2021, Jashawna Yulanda Hollingsworth, a 17-year-old Black/African American female, was fatally shot in a parking lot at the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Washington. A senior at Rainier Beach High School, Jashawna had aspirations of becoming a nurse and was already taking relevant classes.
That evening, Jashawna was spending time with her boyfriend, Josiah Burnley, and his family. As they were leaving the mall, walking in the parking lot near JCPenney, shots were fired. Both Jashawna and her boyfriend were struck by the gunfire. They were both rushed to Harborview Medical Center. Jashawna succumbed to her injuries, which included gunshot wounds to the neck and spine. Her boyfriend, a college freshman home for the holiday, was shot multiple times but survived.
The shooter fled the scene, and as of late 2023, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The Tukwila Police Department's investigation into the double shooting remains open and active. In an effort to generate new leads, Jashawna's family has offered a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for her death. Both Jashawna's and Josiah's families have made public appeals for anyone with information to come forward to the Tukwila Police Department.
