Fort Worth family says teen killed in accidental shooting loved playing basketball
A Fort Worth family says their lives were changed forever after their 16-year-old son was killed in an accidental shooting.
Jayden Jones was killed on Sunday, April 5, when another teenager accidentally fired a gun and shot him in the chest inside a southwest Fort Worth apartment, police have said.
Jones was pronounced dead at The Nolan apartments in the 6600 block of South Hulen Street, according to police.
The shooter, who is also 16, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after police say he recklessly fired the pistol that killled Jones.
Loving teen who enjoyed basketball
Jayden Jones was a shy and loving teenager who started playing basketball at 5 years old and fell in love with the game, parents Jessica Taylor and Marcus Jones told Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
The family said Jayden Jones played on a youth basketball team at the Fort Worth YMCA, where his skills for the game got better.
“On Easter evening our lives were forever changed when we lost our beloved son to senseless gun violence at the hands of someone he called a best friend,” Taylor wrote in a GoFundMe post organized for funeral expenses.
“The shock and pain of this tragedy is something no parent should ever have to endure. As we try to navigate this unimaginable loss, we are reaching out to our community for support,” the post read.
Another teen, Prince Washington, was killed in a drive-by shooting at his Fort Worth home on April 2. Washington, 15, and Jayden Jones played basketball together at a local gym, the Jones family told WFAA-TV.
This story was originally published April 12, 2026 at 2:56 PM.