Probably right.
Gang initiation.
I wonder if those boys he was with will go to Ja’Quares’ funeral, or if they look at him as just another expendible piece of cannon fodder for the gang.
Or he was already initiated. Lots of times, a gang will let the youngest member have the gun, since he's least likely to do hard time. I would guess the plan was to have Ja’Quares do the actual robbery, while the friends would have handled fencing the loot.
In the photo at #9 he is flashing a gang sign so he may have already gone through initiation. I guess mom couldn’t make it to his graduation.