BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Friends continue to look for answers after police said a woman shot and killed her children before turning the gun on herself in Brevard County on Tuesday.
The victims were identified as Joel Johnson, 12, Jazzlyn Johnson, 13, Jaxs Johnson, 15, Pebbles Johnson, 17 and the mother, Tonya Thomas, 33.
Despite the family's problems, a church pastor told WFTV that Pebbles was in the top SAT percentile in the state of Florida.
Channel 9's Daralene Jones also went to the victims’ schools and fond out students were found of the Johnson children.
Friend Michael Baragano was holding himself together emotionally until he opened his Facebook page and saw pictures of the friends he'll never see again.
Baragano said he knew something was wrong Tuesday morning because he saw the crime scene on his way to the bus stop. He said the Johnson children never got on the bus headed to Space Coast High School.
“Our dean announced it on the radio to us, that we lost three good students,” said Baragano.
Jazzlyn, Jaxs and Pebbles were all students at the school. Their younger brother, Joel, was in sixth grade at Atlantis Elementary School.
The school district had to bring in 16 grief counselors to help 150 students mourn.
“It was the quietest I've ever seen the school,” said student Corbin Wratchford. “Everyone, you could see it on their faces, that it was shock that this has happened. Never going to see Pebbles, Jaxs or Jazzlyn again.”
Students said Jaxs was athletic and loved to play basketball. He and Pebbles were close, inseparable, students said.
Friends said Pebbles was the star of the bunch. As a junior, the family's pastor said she scored in the top 10th percentile on her SATs, and she stood out in her physics class.
“They definitely were not those type of kids that you would think this would happen to. They were bright. Teachers loved them,” said Wratchford.
Several students said they knew the Johnson children had issues at home, but said they put on a (good) face at school and were always cheerful and loving toward others.
Counselors will be back on campus Wednesday.
WFTV
