Friends remember 19-year-old Cedar Rapids shooting victim

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) -Alexander Jackson made his initial appearance Wednesday morning where they set his bond at three million dollars. The 20-year-old man denies killing his mother, father and sister inside of their Cedar Rapids at 4414 Oak Leaf Rd NE.

Jackson is facing three counts of first-degree murder. A criminal complaint shows it was Jackson who called authorities on Tuesday morning around 8:30am.

Police arrived at the home to find the bodies of the three victims. They are identified as 61-year-old Jan Jackson, 68-year-old Melissa Jackson, and 19-year-old Sabrina Jackson. Jackson also had a gunshot wound to his foot that he said happened when he was struggling with a masked intruder over a rifle. He admitted his father told him he needed to find a job or move out of the house.

Sabrina Jackson was in the Class of 2020 at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids. KCRG-TV9 learned she was a member of the speech team and played in the band. Friends say she enjoyed writing and was close with students in her Japanese class.

Friends who knew Sabrina remember her as outgoing and a person who loves to write. She was involved with a lot of activities, including band, speech and a student-run Democratic organization.

Sabrina also got to introduce Andrew Yang at a climate change event. Counseling services were available at Kennedy Wednesday. Sabrina and Alexander were both enrolled at the University of Iowa this past spring. Support is also available there for students and staff.

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