Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – April 2, 2024 – A routine visit to Target turned into a life-changing nightmare for a Jonesboro mother and two teenagers.

JonesboroRightNow covered the initial assault and JPD’s subsequent press release on March 29. Read the original story here.

Last Wednesday night about 9:30, she convinced her 14-year-old son to join her for a quick trip to the store. She needed to pick up a few things for Easter. He was willing to go IF he could bring a buddy and they could spend time in the electronics section. “Ok, sure.”

She told JRN that she chose Target because she thought it would be safer.

She knew the store closed at 10:00 so she shopped quickly and was on her way back to the checkout area when she saw two males running toward the main store exit. No sooner did she have time to wonder “What’s going on?” when she saw her own son and his friend chasing after them! She left her cart and took off toward the front of the store, immediately attempting to figure out what was happening. 

Another man was running right behind her boys as they exited the store, and she initially thought he meant to harm them. It turns out that the man saw what happened back in the electronics section and was trying to help them.

When she finally caught up with her son, what she saw was an image she can’t get out of her mind. She said she still sees that image every time she closes her eyes. There was blood all over his face. At first, she thought he might’ve had a nosebleed. But his lip was swollen… The brackets for several of his braces were broken.

“Those guys just jumped us! They came up behind us and just started hitting us!”

Store personnel called 911 and police responded quickly. There were questions for the boys: Did you know the attackers? Did you see them before they attacked? Did you say anything to them before they attacked? No, no and no.

An officer came at it from a different direction: Did they say anything to you before or during the attack? Yes, the son replied. They said “I’m gonna stomp this white b****.” “Let’s beat this white b****es a**.”

The mother continued our conversation, “I saw the police statement on Facebook that says it didn’t seem to be gang-related or racially motivated, but what motivated it? It was completely unprovoked.” It wasn’t a result of a conflict at school – the victims are both homeschooled.

The son’s friend was hit in the back of the head several times. He has a concussion. Her son was punched in the head and the face. He also has a concussion. Both boys had cuts and abrasions from trying to defend themselves. They both went to the ER after the incident. No broken bones.

The incident was recorded on the store’s security video. She’s seen a copy of the video, but with the images blurred. Not the raw footage. Target won’t release that to her, per store policy. She also can’t get it yet from the police department, as it’s an ongoing investigation.

The first time she saw the video was online when the story broke. Watching her son be attacked made her sick to her stomach. She threw up the first time she saw it. And the second time. And when her son saw it for the first time, he threw up, too.

There’s been stories about incidents like this in larger cities. But family and friends couldn’t believe this happened when the mother posted about this incident happening in Jonesboro!

She admits that she wrote a social media post in a state of shock and emotion. “I was a hurt mother…and I’m still a hurt mother” she told JRN. “I did not know that the attackers were 14 and 16 years old when I made my initial post. I don’t think I would’ve been as mad if I’d known they were teenagers.”

“I don’t think I did anything wrong by making a post for my friends and family” she said. Mostly, comments have been supportive. Many offer prayers for healing. Some, though, have been negative. “Some of the things that adults are saying is disgusting,” she said. “ ‘That boy in the boots looks racist…he needs to get it again.’ ” “ ‘You just made them a target. Good luck with your racism.’ ”

She said she’s being scrutinized for allowing two 14-year-olds to be by themselves. “I was in the store,” she said. “Where were the other parents? Why did your child feel the need to hit my child?”

Police did follow up with her after they were able to determine that the attackers were 14 and 16 years old, and she learned from the Facebook update that they had been questioned. Police told her that the two attackers were remorseful, that they were sorry, and they don’t know why they did it. “They were just mad about other things in life. One of them had something happen at school. They saw the two boys and they took it out on them,” she said.

These admissions don’t really help the victims move forward just yet. Her son is having nightmares. He’s afraid to let his mother and little brothers be away from him. “I’m really worried that the fear he’ll have in social settings won’t go away,” she said.

“I never in my life expected anything like this to happen to us, and I don’t know how to handle it. I’m having to deal with the fact that I didn’t know that my child was in danger.”

“We take precautions. We’re proactive in making sure our children are safe. And it didn’t matter. The safety net of society is just gone now for our family. We don’t really feel like we can trust anybody.”

JonesboroRightNow covered the initial assault and JPD’s subsequent press release on March 29. Read the original story here.