Princeton community honors Kierra Jackson through multiple memorial events

PRINCETON, W.Va. (WVVA) - On Thursday, two separate events honored the life of 14-year-old Kierra Jackson, who was missing for five days before being found deceased in her home.

At Princeton Senior High School, many people who knew Jackson and her family were able to pay their respects Thursday night, just one week after Jackson’s death. While the school had grief counselors present to help students process the situation since last week, Jackson’s former principal and current Princeton Senior High principal Krissy Zickafoose said events like Thursday’s are the most important part in processing such grief.

“It’s important that the community, our students, our families be able to articulate our feelings,” said Zickafoose. “This is a very tragic event, it’s not one that we ever want to see with any of our students or any of our family, and we just want to bring as much support and closure as we can to Kierra’s family and her siblings because they do mean a great deal to us.”

“Her sister is one of our classmates and she is also part of the tiger family,” said student body president Lily Powell. “So just as another tiger I felt that we all need to band together as a community and just support them right now.”

Thursday’s student-led vigil wasn’t the only event in honor of Jackson in Princeton. Earlier in the day, a local trucking group, 304 Takeover, led a ride for Kierra Jackson, where drivers passed by the Mercer County Courthouse, the Princeton Police Department and finally the home Jackson was found deceased in last week.

Those involved in both of the day’s events said it’s important for the community to come together to process such a tragedy.

“It just makes me, you know, proud of our community that they’re willing to take their time for somebody they don’t even know, just to do that and show their support for them,” said Raymond Lambert, founder of 304 Takeover.

“It makes me very upset that it takes something like this tragedy to get us together as a community,” said Powell. “But it’s just a reminder that as a community we need to stick together and spread love throughout this time of darkness.”

Another vigil in Jackson’s honor is set for Friday in Welch, set to provide another opportunity for people to come together and grieve as a community, as many look for answers and ways to help each other moving forward.

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