AVONDALE, Mo. — It has been four and a half months since Amber O'Connell was last told, "I love you," by her 17-year-old son.
He was killed in a drive-by shooting in Avondale in Clay County on July 30, and the family is pleading for answers.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office says their investigation leads them to believe more than one person can come forward with information related to the shooting.
“He never left without saying, ‘I love you.’ Never. Never hung up the phone without saying, ‘I love you,’ or left outside my door without saying, ‘I love you,'" O'Connell said.
O'Connell says all she wants this holiday season is justice for her only son and youngest child Therrell Jackson.
“Therrell grew up playing outside, playing basketball, loves swimming, and going to Worlds of Fun, where he later got a job at," she said.
Jackson was visiting friends in Avondale when he was shot. Investigators say he was targeted.
"We responded to the scene and found the victim, Therrell Jackson, in the street," said Kristen Rivera, the lead investigator in the case with the Clay County Sheriff's Office.
Jackson was transported to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries.
"Taking someone else's life is not right, and it doesn't just take that person's life, it took my soul, it took my life, too," O'Connell said.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office released a video of a suspect vehicle that is described as a dark blue or black 1996-1998 Chevrolet Silverado. The pickup is a 4X4 Z71 trim, and at the time of the shooting, one of its headlights was out.
Rivera says no detail is too small.
There is a $2,000 reward through the TIPS hotline for information that leads to an arrest. People can submit tips anonymously by calling 816-474-8477.
"I believe in my son so much and will continue to believe in him, and I believe God has our back and we will find who did this to my baby boy," O'Connell said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
