CLEVELAND — Rosalin Shepard issued a statement of peace through Black on Black Crime inc., asking that her family and the Family of former Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson stop the violence.
Black on Black Crime Inc. President Art McKoy spoke at a Wednesday meeting and said Ms. Shepard is hoping both families can stop the fighting that she said has been going on for years.
Shepard's son, Robert Shepard, sentenced to 33-years to life on Nov. 14 for the murder of the former Mayor's grandson Frank Q. Jackson.
According to authorities, Frank Q. Jackson was fatally shot on Sept. 19, 2021 near Sidaway Avenue and East 70 Street.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office said Shepard "lured the victim to the area where he was shot by another unidentified individual." Following the shooting, Shepard and another assailant fled the scene. The other assailant has not been identified.
Then in May, Rosalin Shepard's grandson, Chris'shon Coleman was shot and killed, the former Mayor's great-grandson, Donald Jackson-Gates was charged with aggravated murder and five other counts in the case.
McKoy said Rosalin Shepard is praying for peace, hoping Black on Black Crime Inc. can help officiate a meeting between the two families.
“She wanted to come here today with the message that she wants peace," McKoy said. "Ms. Rosalin Shepard wants everyone to know in the community that she’s tired of the pain, she’s tired of the suffering."
"She wants to meet with the Jackson family and try to resolve this matter," McKoy added. “If the Shepard family can make peace with the Jackson family, and there would be no more violence between those two families, maybe that good will, that good spirit will spread to the next family and the next family.”
News 5 reached out to former Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson for this story, but Jackson politely said, "I'm not talking about that."
Meanwhile, Donald Jackson-Gates is being held in the Lake County jail on a $1.25 million bond and is set for a preliminary hearing in the Chris'shon Coleman murder case sometime this week.
