Family, friends and community members gathered at Mukilteo Lighthouse Park Thursday to remember the life of 13-year-old Jayda Woods-Johnson, who died in a Lynnwood shooting one year ago. Many wore red, which was Jayda’s favorite color.

A student at Brier Terrace Middle School, Jayda was with her best friend at Alderwood Mall on July 3, 2024 when she was killed by errant gunfire. The teen suspect in the shooting, Samuel Gizaw, has been held in custody awaiting trial.

Support 7 Executive Director Shannon Sessions said that Woods-Johnson’s family was grateful to everyone who attended Thursday’s memorial, when attendees gathered around a bonfire to share their memories of Jayda.

“Don’t be afraid to laugh. This has been a tough year for a variety of things, whether it’s…a court process that’s continually being delayed,” Sessions said. “And the family has a lot of different things to say, but really, today is just a special time to remember her.”

Woods-Johnson was walking through the mall with her friend Maelisa Nawas just after 6 p.m. when she was shot.

Court documents allege that Gizaw had an altercation with a group of boys in the mall’s food court. He then fired one shot at a male teen acquaintance but missed, striking Woods-Johnson instead. His trial is now scheduled to start July 18.

“I think a lot of people realize there’s no repercussions of kids using guns,” Jayda’s cousin Cali Huffman said. “We need to reach out to local representatives about Jayda’s Law. It’s not just the child. It’s the whole family who needs support.”

Jayda’s Law was proposed by the Johnson family last year. It includes stricter sentencing for juveniles involved in violent crimes, including a minimum holding time of 24 to 72 hours after an arrest, a “no bail, no release” policy, and the automatic charging of minors as adults when firearms are involved.

Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell and Councilmember Robert Leutwyler attended the memorial in support of Jayda’s family and the community. Frizzell noted how the shooting changed the perception of safety at the mall.

“This was an event that rocked our young people,” Frizzell said. “And one of my big concerns is that people in Lynwood feel safe. That’s a lot different than being safe because I think that the shooting and a couple of other ones that we’ve had just caused us to think this doesn’t happen in Lynnwood. But here we are, and it does happen in Lynnwood.”

Frizzell mentioned ACCESS Project, a Lynnwood nonprofit that focuses on  some of the root causes of youth violence. Founded by Wally Webster, the nonprofit offers counseling for troubled kids to “help them express their frustrations and emotions,” Frizzell said.

She showed a red bracelet on her wrist that she received at Jayda’s vigil last year. “I keep it in my car. I look at it almost every day,” Frizzell said. “What can we do to help them [youth] understand a better way to express their actions than to take out a gun? They didn’t mean to kill Jayda, but they shouldn’t have had a gun in the first place. In my opinion, it’s given us new awareness to protect our youth. They’re our next generation.”