“All a Man Has Is His Name”: Sharon Jenkins Takes Fight Over Son’s Death to Federal Court

“All a Man Has Is His Name”: Sharon Jenkins Takes Fight Over Son’s Death to Federal Court

Sharon Jenkins said she has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Deputy Stephen Amador, Lubbock County and the City of Wolfforth as she continues seeking answers about the November 23, 2024, shooting that killed her 20 year old son, Erskin Charles Jenkins.

During an interview on The806er Today, Jenkins said she returned to Lubbock to pursue legal action after repeated efforts to obtain information left her feeling that litigation was the only remaining path to answers.

“Every effort for transparency and accountability was just pushed to the side, so they leave you no option other than to file a lawsuit so you can have discovery and get the information that you need,” she said.

Jenkins also said 2 related civil lawsuits had been filed in Lubbock County, including one against the homeowner connected to the Friendsgiving gathering her son attended. Public federal court listings identify a civil rights case filed October 23 under Sharon Renee Jenkins’ name against Stephen Amador and other defendants.

Erskin was shot and killed by a Lubbock County sheriff’s deputy at a Wolfforth home after law enforcement responded to a disturbance during the gathering.

Authorities have maintained that officers were responding to an armed threat and working to evacuate people from the house. Sheriff Kelly Rowe previously defended the deputy’s use of force. A Texas Rangers investigation was presented to a grand jury, which declined to bring criminal charges, according to KCBD’s reporting.

Jenkins disputed the official account and said her questions extended to what happened before officers arrived, the decision to use deadly force and the response after her son was shot.

“They should have rendered aid, and they did not,” Jenkins alleged. “You just don’t get to play God.”

She said footage showing her son moving and being placed in handcuffs left her questioning why officers did not provide the assistance she believes could have saved him.

“How could any decent person not render aid?” she asked. “It’s just human decency. That’s just part of their job.”

Jenkins also said she believes Erskin was asleep before officers’ actions woke him, challenging the characterization of him as an immediate threat.

“You can’t be asleep and hold hostages. You can’t be asleep and be a threat,” she said.

Jenkins said obtaining a fuller record remained a central goal. She wants unredacted footage, witness statements and the identities of everyone who could help establish what happened.

“Most of the things that we’ve been getting to date … have been redacted,” she said. “Transparency was just not something that we’ve received at all.”

She also called for an investigation into the hours before the shooting. According to Jenkins, her son had gone to the barbershop and purchased items for the party after receiving an invitation from a friend.

She said cellphone records and messages raised questions about arrangements for picking up that friend and what happened to her son’s possessions.

“We were also able to find out that his phone was traveling after he was deceased,” Jenkins alleged.

She questioned why his wallet, cellphone and car keys were not with him and said she had repeatedly asked officials to investigate the events inside the home before police were called.

Jenkins said the mother of the person who invited Erskin to the gathering later mailed her his belongings. That raised additional concerns for her about how property connected to the scene had been handled.

Her questions also included transactions involving Doc’s liquor store. Jenkins said she had her son’s bank statements but had been told the store did not have cameras.

“Erskin was 20. So if he bought alcohol himself, he shouldn’t have been able to,” she said.

The full complaints, complete footage, bank statements and cellphone records Jenkins referenced were not independently reviewed for this report.

Asked what she hoped would come from the legal fight, Jenkins called for better training for officers in Wolfforth and Lubbock County. She questioned whether the deputy had enough experience for the situation and said she wanted an outcome that would have a purpose beyond her own family.

Jenkins said the approaching November 23 anniversary would mark 2 years since her son’s death. She urged other parents in similar circumstances to keep asking questions and resist pressure to abandon their search for answers.

“Who is ever going to be able to defend Erskin more than me? He’s my son. I know him,” she said.

For Jenkins, protecting her son’s name remained at the center of that effort. She recalled finding a paper he had written while she was moving his belongings out of his apartment.

“In it, it said, ‘All a man has is his name,’” she recalled. “So we’re gonna fight for that.”

She closed by asking anyone with information about her son’s final hours to come forward, including those who may be afraid to speak publicly.

“Even if you can help us with anonymous information,” Jenkins said. “I wish that you would just come forward and have the courage to come forward.”