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'Dead at 17,' Grand Rapids mother wants answers after incomprehensible shooting

James King, an East Kentwood senior, was shot and killed in the parking lot of a strip mall off Kalamazoo Avenue.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — James King would have celebrated his 18th birthday this March and graduated from East Kentwood High School in the spring. 

"I would never ever want a parent to go through what I am going through of losing a child. Because there's no coming back," said King's mother, Toshia Williams.

It was still daylight when Williams' son was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Grand Rapids shopping center. King and his cousin, who will not be identified, had walked over to the Towne & Country Shopping Center off Kalamazoo Avenue and 44th Street to meet up with a group of guys James knew. 

The group pulled up and parked before James hopped in the backseat of the vehicle. 

"He tried to open up the door to give me a warning to let me know he was getting robbed, but it was all too late," King's cousin recounted. 

Seconds later, King's cousin says James was shot in the head and pushed out of the car. 

The suspects fled, leaving James to die in the arms of his cousin. 

"Both of our phones were dead, so I was telling people call the ambulance, 'we need help,'" King's cousin said on Jan. 14. The shooting was reported just before 5 p.m. 

King's family said an ambulance did not arrive on scene until hours later, when they came to remove James' body from the scene. 

"He was still with me, he was still up," King's cousin said. 

First responders said King died on scene despite life saving efforts, but King's family believes James was still conscious for another half hour after the shooting. 

Now, they want for answers and justice for James. 

"They got away with murder and they are still out there. Even if they were in prison, they're still breathing, he's not," Williams said. 

The family says police have arrested one teenager in connection to the murder, but it's not clear yet what role the suspect played in the shooting. Grand Rapids Police said in a press release that the suspect's car has been impounded, but no suspects have been formally charged, yet. 

King's cousin says he recalls there being four males in the vehicle. 

There is a GoFundMe to raise money for King's funeral and his family. 

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