Bay Area teen killed at his graduation ceremony was protecting his 11-year-old sister

Five days have passed since 18-year-old Jamario Baker was shot and killed at Fairfield High School after a Sem Yeto High graduation had ended, but police still do not have a suspect in custody.

Baker was wearing his cap and gown when he was shot, while three more victims aged 11, 20 and 25 were also hit with gunshot wounds.

RELATED: Police identify Bay Area teen, still wearing cap and gown, fatally shot at his graduation ceremony

A Facebook post over the weekend by a woman named Mary Jones who identified herself as Baker’s aunt, said that the Sem Yeto graduate was protecting his 11-year-old sister when he was shot.

“Prayers much needed for my Brother Roderick and family,” Jones wrote on a post that included a photo of Baker with his father following the graduation. “You may of heard about the shooting in Fairfield after a graduation ceremony. That was my great nephew that was shot and killed. Rest In heaven Jamario. He was protecting his 11 year old sister when he was shot.”

On Friday a memorial with balloons and a page created for loved ones to write messages was created for Baker in the Fairfield High parking lot near Schafer Stadium.

On Saturday evening people gathered at Fairfield Civic Center Pond to pray and reflect on the life of Baker while offering support to the family.

According to the Fairfield Police Department, the Sem Yeto High graduation on Wednesday was attended by approximately 1,000 people, with hundreds of potential witnesses to this tragedy. Fairfield Police said that detectives are currently identifying and interviewing these witnesses and are actively following up on investigative leads. As this is an on-going investigation, no additional information is available for release.

“In an event like this, when you have such a large-scale incident with a lot of victims and a lot of witnesses to get through, then we usually reach out for mutual aid. I don’t know what mutual aid we have already reached out to, but that is something we usually do,” Fairfield Police Officer Michelle Belyea said on Wednesday.

Messages to Jones by the Times-Herald were not returned as of 2 p.m. on Monday. Messages to the Fairfield Police Department were also not met as of 2 p.m. on Monday.

Meanwhile, Hope Christian Church in Fairfield has announced plans for a community prayer gathering at the site of the shooting. The church is inviting residents to attend a “Moment of Blessing: Hope, Healing, and Unity” at 3 p.m. on Friday in the Fairfield High School parking lot.

“In the wake of the recent tragedy at Sam Yeto’s graduation, our community continues to grieve alongside those who have been deeply affected,” the church said in a social media statement. “This gathering is an opportunity to honor those impacted, support one another, and reaffirm our commitment to the well-being of our community.”

According to Faifield Mayor Catherine “Cat” Moy, the pastor of the family of the victim who was killed is expected to attend the event.

On Thursday at 5 p.m. many people are scheduled to show up at the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District Board meeting to demand accountablity and ask questions seeking answers to who made the request for officers to be at Sem Yeto’s High School graduation.

The Fairfield Police Department issued a public statement on Friday after questions emerged about security at the graduation ceremony. Police attributed the lack of police presence to a breakdown in communication between the city and the school district.

The department said reports suggesting the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District never requested police coverage were “not an accurate characterization” of what happened.

According to police, the department maintains a memorandum of understanding with the school district to provide officers for events such as graduations and sporting events when requested through an established process.

“Through an internal review conducted in coordination with the FSUSD administration, an attempt to make a request was submitted for the Sem Yeto graduation,” the department said. “The request was not made through the established channels, and the department was not aware of the request.”

As a result, no officers were assigned to the ceremony.

The revelation prompted a response from Moy, who said she sought answers from city officials after receiving inquiries from media outlets following the shooting.Moy said she was informed that police would fully staff upcoming graduations at Armijo, Rodriguez, and Fairfield high schools.

“Based on the information in this post, it’s unclear what occurred,” she wrote over the weekend. “Clearly, there was a failure of the established process. It’s important that we see where that failure occurred so it doesn’t happen again.”

The mayor’s comments came as some residents questioned why the city, police department, and school district had not held a joint press conference to address lingering questions about the shooting and security arrangements.

When one commenter noted that officials “have not held an official press conference to allow media to ask questions and get clarification of what transpired,” Moy defended her and the city’s response. The Fairfield Police Department held a news conference at 9 and 11 p.m. on Wednesday attended by numerous media outlets including the Vallejo Times-Herald and Vacaville Reporter.

“The police held a press conference, and I’ve spoken to at least 15 media outlets around the country,” she replied. “Google it.”

Vacaville Reporter Community Editor Robin Miller contributed to this ongoing story. Look for updates online at timesheraldonline.com and thereporter.com.