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Jax

In memory of Paul Jaxson Hoffman

On September 14, 2020, my 10-year-old cousin, Paul Jaxson Hoffman (we called him Jaxson for short), was shot and killed by my 8-year-old cousin. He died instantly.

My cousins were playing Fortnite together. My 8-year-old cousin got second place, and that outraged him. (The non-family member there described him as “raging.”) He went to my uncle’s room and grabbed the gun that was on the top shelf (he got it using a step stool from his room). Jaxson, out of pure curiosity, followed him. My 8-year-old cousin aimed the gun at him and pulled the trigger, and Jaxson died instantly. He ran a couple feet to my 8-year-old cousin’s bedroom, where he collapsed on the floor.

My uncle (the owner of the gun) was outside with my 4-year-old cousin, playing ball in the garage, when he heard a loud bang, which he thought was a kid jumping off of the bed. He went upstairs to check anyway. When he got upstairs, he saw Jaxson on his back, not breathing.

Reacting shows support for gun violence survivors.

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