FORT WORTH, Texas — For the first time since the police shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson, her nephew who witnessed the shooting is speaking one-on-one with WFAA.
The two of them had a special bond.
"She was so cool, I wanted to live with her and didn’t want to live with anybody else," Zion said.
Zion shared that Atatiana was his gaming partner. He was 8 years old when he lost his aunt Tay. He is now 13 and misses playing games with her the most.
"She was good at gaming," Zion said.
Zion is in eighth grade now and is a little anxious about high school next year. He has fond memories of his aunt who taught him how to win while playing his favorite Playstation Games.
"Like Fortnite, but more kid-friendly, when you die you turn into a chicken, you try to run away for five seconds and if you run away in time, you turn back into a human," Zion said.
Zion says he knows for sure he was his aunt's favorite nephew.
"Because I was the only one with a nickname," said Zion. "Jelly bean, because when I was a little boy, I was like, my cheeks were so chubby. She would be like, they look like some jelly beans.”
Zion and Jefferson were always together, including the night of Oct. 12, 2019. He shared why they left their door open, which prompted their neighbor's 911 call for a welfare check by former Fort Worth Aaron Dean.
"I was cooking at this oven right here. I was like, Aunt Tay, I want to cook some burgers. She was like, you need help. I'm like, no, I think I got it by myself. I burnt them, we opened the door and then we just let it sit out and then we just went to the room and played video games.”
Moments later, after Aaron Dean arrived at their home, that’s when Zion witnessed Dean shoot and kill his aunt.
"I was feeling upset," said Zion. "And I was really angry."
In the following months, he marched with protestors, saying her name. Eventually, he testified at that officer's criminal trial. He shared the details of what happened that night as he and his aunt played video games.
"I don’t like talking about what happened,” Zion said.
Since Jefferson’s shooting, Zion has had to deal with losing his grandmother, grandfather, and his mother, Amber Carr. Now, another aunt is raising him and his younger brother.
Now, he helps keep his aunt’s memory alive by participating in events like the Atatiana Project STEM Summer Camp. His aunt Ashley Carr hopes to reach even more young people through the camp by opening a game room for young people as well.
"The last two years we built computers. Last year we did a walkie-talkie. It was really nice," Zion said.
He’s traveled to Washington DC to participate in a crime survivors rally. Zion carried signs and chanted with other participants about justice and peace.
This year in Fort Worth, Zion invites everyone to this year‘s "Pull up for Tay" community festival on Oct. 12th at 1201 East Allen St. They will have free food, games, music and karaoke. Zion has been practicing some of his favorite songs to sing during Tay-Day. He hopes others will enjoy the event as much as he does.
"We will have food, have fun, and it would be an honor for them just to be there and think about my aunt," Zion said.
The 13-year-old will also serve as Grand Marshal for the Tay-Day Parade. Event organizer Cliff Sparks has more spots available for people to march in the parade. The parade registration link is here.