Friends of Sabrina Jackson hold vigil to remember her after shooting death

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - In the final minutes before sunset Wednesday evening, Sabrina Jackson’s friends gathered in the Kennedy High School parking lot amid the shock and the sorrow over Tuesday’s shooting in Cedar Rapids.

They remember 19-year-old Sabrina Jackson, along with her mother and father, who died in that shooting. Her brother, 20-year-old Alex Jackson, is charged in their deaths.

Sabrina graduated in the class of 2020, in a drive-thru ceremony in the Kennedy High School parking lot just 13 months ago.

The class of 2020 had about 440 students. Many of them came back to Cedar Rapids for their first summer after starting college.

They remembered the student who was on the speech team that went to state, the young woman who played in the band, and a student who was just getting involved in politics. She was a friend to many.

Friends who knew Sabrina remember her as outgoing and a person who loved to write and was close with students in her Japanese calss. 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.

One of her friends and classmates, Gillian Grochala, said it’s an overwhelming shock, but she’s glad to have had this time to remember Sabrina.

“She was just so kind, she was one of the first people who was kind to me,” she said. “We clicked instantly. She was always so happy around us.”

Grochala also said she was glad that so many people came out to remember Sabrina.

Counseling services were available at Kennedy Wednesday. Support is also available there for students and staff.

Alex Jackson is facing three murder charges. He made his initial court appearance on Tuesday.

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