Tears and prayers at Jackson State vigil after nightclub shooting kills 2

Some bowed their heads in prayer, as candles glowed Monday evening at Jackson State University. Others wiped away tears. Many offered hugs as they remembered one of their own, one of two college students killed by gunfire the night before. 

University President Denise Jones Gregory, joined by about 200 others, tearfully gave her condolences to the family of Jada Henderson, a freshman from Atlanta studying psychology, who was killed in a weekend shooting at a Jackson nightclub 6 miles northeast of campus. 

“When one of our Tigers hurts, every single one of us bleeds,” Gregory told students, administrators and community members who gathered for the vigil. “To our students standing here tonight, I see your pain, I see your worry, I see your exhaustion and I see your grief.”

Jackson police say Henderson was killed after two men in ski masks entered the nightclub and began shooting. Police have not made any arrests or identified a motive. The investigation continues. 

The shooting also killed Lovdai Poindexter, 20, of Brandon, and injured six others, who were taken to a hospital for treatment. Poindexter was a student at Holmes Community College. 

Serenity Wilson, a JSU freshman studying marketing, was among Henderson’s friends. During the vigil, she asked the community to pray for her fallen friend.

“Our friend was here one minute, now she is gone,” Wilson said.

Ladorian “Gray” Shelton, a junior creative writing major from Jackson, said he was devastated by Henderson’s death, even if he did not know her. The shooting, he said, brought back memories of losing a high school classmate to gun violence.

“It hurts the spirit. This is another peer. I wanted to see them graduate and be happy. This didn’t have to happen,” Shelton said, as dozens of other students crowded near him, some holding electronic candles that lit up the gathering.

In response to the shooting, Jackson State officials canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday for undergraduates, while graduate courses were moved online, according to a social media statement from the university.

Gregory said students’ safety and well-being remain the highest priority as university officials work with law enforcement and public safety officers. Campus officials encouraged students to use campus resources for support and counseling. 

Jackson Mayor John Horhn, who attended the vigil, had called for the nightclub to be shut down in a statement Sunday. 

As the vigil came to a close, Gregory joined Wilson and some of Henderson’s friends at a bench.

“So, what was Jada like?” Gregory asked. 

“Lovely,” one student responded. 

“Feisty,” Wilson interjected. Then laughter erupted.