Zaevion Dobson, 15-years-old, was shot and killed on Thursday Dec. 17 after jumping on top of three girls to shield them from the bullets resulting from gang activity in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Shootings occurred at three different locations that day, starting at around 7:18 pm, according to police of Knoxville.
The first volley occurred when shots were fired at a house with two people inside: 46-year-old Lisa Perry and a 10-year-old.
Perry was injured, wounds in the lower back and is expected to survive. The child was not injured.
About three hours later, Lisa Perry’s son, Brandon Perry and several other men went into a different neighborhood and began randomly firing shots, police said. This was apparently a revenge shooting because of the earlier shooting of Lisa Perry.
The shots fired struck sophomore Zaevion Dobson, football player at Knoxville’s Fulton High School. Dobson was killed because he used his body as a human shield for three girls. The girls were unharmed.
The men fled the scene, but were quickly taken into custody. One has since been released while the other remains in custody. Christopher D. Bassett, 20, is a convicted felon and possession of a firearm is a violation of probation. He is being held without bond.
Brandon Perry was later found shot while driving a BMW. Perry crashed into an apartment and was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
According to the witnesses, the crowd that was attacked was minding their business and had done nothing to provoke the suspects.
“…and I picked him up and he was laying in my hands- dead,” said Zack Dobson, brother of killed victim.
The schools football team said Dobson will “always be remembered as a hero:”
“It was good to know that he was protecting others but it was sad that he had to give his life away,” said Jaylin Posey, victim’s friend.
Zaevion Dobson will be remembered as the hero that he was:
“This is a fine, fine young man who is a success story,” His coach Ron Black said. “And I want to try to continue to celebrate the life that he had here and the impact that he made on his peers.”
