What to Know
- 83-year-old Jacolia James was killed in her Brownsville apartment, with wounds to her head and torso, and now her family is seeking answers
- Friends believe police would already know who was responsible for the vicious attack if their building had cameras
- The victim's granddaughter is now asking the community for help: “Someone needs to say something”
After an 83-year-old woman was found dead in her Brooklyn apartment, the victim's family and friends are demanding answers.
"She didn't deserve this, and I'm not going to stop until we get justice," said Edward James, the son of victim Jacolia James.
People who knew Jacolia called her Jackie — with a nametag with the name written on it still hanging on her front door.
Police responded to a 911 call late Tuesday night to the Carter G. Woodson Houses in Brownsville and found James face down, unconscious with multiple wounds to her head and torso. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
“I don’t know who it was or how it happened (but) she put up a fight,” said friend Toni Smith.
Friends believe police would already know who was responsible for the vicious attack if their building had cameras — which elected officials have pressed NYCHA to install. Her death is the second slaying in the Brownsville building in the last year.
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“Certainly cameras at the front and back aren’t too much to ask,” said Brooklyn Councilwoman Inez Barron.
Instead her family is left searching for answers, pleading with the community to step up and help find who did this.
“I understand people in New York use the word ‘snitching.’ That doesn’t work here,” said Naquwana Davis, the victim’s granddaughter. “Someone needs to say something.”
