The mother of a KSU student was shot dead in grief over the loss of her daughter

KENNESAW, Georgia – Alasia Franklin dreamed of becoming a nurse and following in her family’s footsteps and pursuing a career in the medical field.

To her mother, Alinda Fortner, Alasia was sweet, humble and cheerful. Her daughter was also hard-working and intelligent—as evidenced by her recent all-A and dean’s list at Kennesaw State University.

But the 21-year-old’s hopes surprisingly came to an end at the weekend. Alasia was shot and killed on the KSU campus on Saturday.

Now Fortner is giving more insight into the story between her daughter and the alleged murderer.

A KSU Police spokesman said Samuel Harris allegedly shot Alasia Franklin, 21, Saturday near the Austin Residence Complex on campus after an argument.

“I’m so amazed by this situation because there’s nothing – if I say nothing on this earth that I can imagine my daughter could have said or done that to deserve this,” Fortner said.

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Fortner said she found out what happened to her daughter when a phone call woke her from her sleep.

“The first call I received was from the suspect’s mother,” Fortner explained.

Fortner, still in disbelief, said she began calling authorities and hospitals to find out anything she could confirm. When she found out her daughter was dead, she said she lost it.

“There are no words in the three editions of Webster’s Dictionary that I can describe to explain how I feel,” Fortner said.

Cobb County police arrested Harris on charges of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm. Fortner said she knew Harris as her daughter’s ex-boyfriend. She said they remained friends. Alasia even celebrated Harris’ birthday with his family a few months ago.

“They had been together since high school,” Fortner said. “So there is history there – not a history of violence.”

Fortner said she didn’t even know how or why Harris was on campus since he wasn’t a student.

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“I have enough sense to know that I was 21 at this age before,” Fortner said. “You don’t feel the need to tell mom everything.”

She now has to accept that there are some answers she will not get.

“I just hope that my daughter’s story, my daughter’s situation is a wake-up call for so many across the country,” Fortner said.

Fortner said there are lessons to be learned from her daughter’s story.

“We need to educate our young men better and teach them how to treat a woman,” Fortner said. “And not only that: how to deal with life when things don’t go the way you want them to.”

Fortner said that while you can’t control everything on an open campus, parents need to teach young girls to recognize warning signs.

“Yes, you can put up bars. And yes, you can scan keys. And yes, you can increase security and maybe forego such an open campus structure with constant comings and goings, but basically, I think that’s where it all begins at home,” Fortner said.

Fortner said she believes she will never get justice.

“I don’t care how many years they give him,” Fortner said. “I don’t care if they gave him 500,000 years. There will never be enough justice for what was done to my daughter.”“

KSU Police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations are still investigating this case.