Roderick “Kito” Jackson, a lifelong Cantabrigian who died in a Dec. 6 deadly crash in Waltham, will live on through a memorial scholarship, his family announced at a Friday press conference.
The Kito Jackson Scholarship Fund will be awarded to a student-athlete from Cambridge, according to Thomas Flaws, an attorney at Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys who represents Jackson’s family.
“It will really honor the things he was most passionate about. That’s the community in Cambridge and, most importantly, it’s family,” Flaws said. “It will also go to someone with a dedication to athletics. Kito was a fantastic athlete, and people honored with the scholarship will be athletes as well.”
Though his favorite sport was football, Jackson was a standout basketball player in college. After stints at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology and William Penn University, he led Framingham State University to a conference championship in 2010.
Jackson’s family shared his passion for athletics. His brother, Manuel Asprilla-Hassan, was an outstanding athlete in his own right. He played football for Boston College and, after being signed by the then-San Diego Chargers, played in the NFL from 2015 to 2020. Jackson’s mother, Norma Asprilla, is a self-described “big fan” of all sports. She and her children often bond over basketball and college football.
Asprilla-Hassan said that the family would also like to see the scholarship help someone who grew up in a single-parent and less-economically fortunate home, similar to Jackson’s upbringing. For students like his brother, Asprilla-Hassan said, college is often only a dream.
“We want to support those individuals who are a reflection of my brother,” Asprilla-Hassan said.
Asprilla-Hassan recalled how Jackson was his biggest role model and helped raise his younger siblings. Jackson never missed one of his football games, Asprilla-Hassan said.
Jackson’s sister, Esmeralda Asprilla, said she also bonded with her brother through athletics. Jackson helped her practice her basketball and track skills, she said.
“He put a smile on everyone’s face,” Asprilla said. “They stole him from us.”
Plans for a lawsuit
Jackson’s family plans to bring a civil case against the driver who is accused of killing Jackson and Waltham police officer Paul Tracey. Their goal, Flaws said, is to get answers.
“At this point, we have a lot of questions,” Flaws said. “The history of the person who did it is incredibly troubling. We’ve heard about the incident from 2009 that seems very similar. There was another 2016 incident. The family wants answers about why he was able to be out in the community and how something like this ever could have been allowed to happen.”
The family hopes a lawsuit could prevent a similar future tragedy, Flaws said. Jackson’s mother, Norma Asprilla, added, “We need answers.”
When asked if the family could bring suits against a state agency or National Grid, Jackson’s employer, Flaws said that, as of now, they intend to sue only the driver, though he didn’t rule out further legal action. The family’s suit against the driver, he said, would be important in determining if anyone else is partly responsible for Jackson’s death.
Regarding the suit, Asprilla-Hassan said, “We want justice. We want to keep our brother’s name alive.”
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