Mother searching for closure after 10-year-old son’s shooting death

Keith Frierson was ecstatic when he got a new bike for Christmas, one he had been begging for. A few days later, after assisting his mother in putting away groceries, the young boy asked if he could go outside to ride with other kids in his condominium complex.

Fifteen minutes later, neighbors came screaming and banging on Brittani Frierson’s door. Her son, known as KJ, had been shot. Another 10-year-old boy, police say, fired a single bullet that struck KJ in the neck and head.

“I ran for my life, and my child was on the ground,” Frierson said. “He didn’t even have a fighting chance. He was gone.”

Other children who witnessed the incident said the boy accused in the shooting was angry and shot her son over losing to him in a bicycle race, Frierson said. According to one child, she said, there was no warning or confrontation before the fatal shooting.

“That boy just raised that gun and shot my son,” Frierson said.

The shooting occurred Dec. 30 at the complex in Foothill Farms, a community just outside Sacramento. Sheriff’s deputies arrived around 4:30 p.m. at the scene, where medical personnel conducted lifesaving efforts before transporting KJ to a local hospital. He was pronounced dead there.

Keith Frierson, known as KJ, was shot in the neck and head by a single gunshot from another 10-year-old boy. A memorial set up in his honor in Sacramento.

(Courtesy of Frierson family)

Frierson is stunned, she said, not only by the loss of her son but also because no murder charges have been filed in his killing.

At an arraignment on Wednesday, prosecutors charged 53-year-old Arkete Davis, the boy’s father, with gun-related charges, child endangerment, and being an accessory to the crime. He is being held with no bail.

Davis’ son was initially arrested and booked on a murder charge, but it was dropped, Frierson said.

“There has to be some type of consequence,” she said. “Not only so I can feel some type of closure in my heart for me and my family, so I can start to grieve. I feel like I can’t even grieve until I know that something was done.”

In an email, the Sacramento County district attorney’s office stated that ethics rules barred the office from commenting while the case was pending against Davis. It also noted that juvenile matters are confidential, as mandated by California law.

Instead, the DA’s office referred to a statement about Davis that prosecutors made in the courtroom: “Based on the facts currently known, the sole criminal liability and responsibility for the child’s death lay exclusively with this defendant.”

According to investigators, Davis’ son was retrieving cigarettes for his father when he found a gun inside the man’s car. Witnesses told detectives that the boy took the gun from the vehicle, bragged about it being his father’s gun, and then shot KJ.

Prosecutors have alleged that witnesses overheard the 10-year-old proclaiming, “See, I told you my dad had a gun” before he fired it.

Frierson said she personally viewed videos taken by witnesses that showed Davis putting the gun inside a bag and disposing of it in a trash can following the shooting, then running into his home before police arrived.

“He [Davis] was the first adult outside,” she said. “He did not even aid or approach my son.”

Homicide detectives with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office reported finding the gun in a nearby trash can after searching the scene.

As a convicted felon, Davis was legally prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the gun recovered from Davis’ possession had been reported stolen in 2017.

Frierson said she rarely interacted with Davis; she recalled just one encounter more than a year ago, which she described as unpleasant. His son, however, would frequently knock on her door, asking if her children could play. They played often, and KJ considered him a friend.

“I cannot wrap my head around what would make a 10-year-old child feel like that was how he solves his problems,” she said.

She said it was an injustice that Davis’ son didn’t immediately face legal consequences for his actions. She acknowledged the boy’s youth, but she believes there should be some repercussions for KJ’s death.

“I don’t think he fully understands the effects his actions have on the family and community,” Frierson said. “[But] he knows what happens when you use a gun. He knew how to use it. He had no problems pulling the trigger.”

The day that KJ was killed, Frierson, along with her two sons and Nina Trepagnier, her best friend of 20 years, had plans to create their 2024 vision boards. Trepagnier had just hung up the phone with Frierson when she received another call informing her that KJ had been killed. She said she just started screaming.

Brittani Frierson and son Keith Frierson, known as KJ, in Sacramento.

(Courtesy of Frierson family)

Trepagnier described KJ as a “very sweet boy” who would assist elderly residents in their complex by taking out their trash and carrying their groceries.

“This baby wanted to be a police officer,” she said. “He always obeyed the rules.”

Trepagnier said KJ’s killing has had a chilling effect on the community.

Since his death, she said, children at the complex have stopped playing outside. The balls and toys that were once put out for them to play with are gone. Parents are now keeping their children indoors.

Residents of the community have organized and maintained a candlelight vigil every night for KJ, recently braving the rain to carry out the memorial. With the help of the community and sympathetic donors, the family has raised nearly $15,000 for funeral services.

“The next step for me is to celebrate my son,” Frierson said. “Then, after that, something has to be done. I’m not going to stop. I want to be heard.”