Deante Kenneth Wilkins was a 23-year-old Black man who was shot and killed in Los Angeles on December 14, 2021. Family and friends remember him as kind and promising; he had appeared in an earlier article with his mother, Latrel, about their efforts to escape neighborhood violence.

The Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation after the shooting, but the circumstances of the attack, the motive, and the shooter’s identity remain unclear. As of this report there have been no arrests or publicly identified suspects and no court proceedings connected to the killing. Deante’s family and community have held vigils and called for stronger action against gun violence while seeking answers and accountability.

If anyone knew Deante, witnessed the shooting, or has information that could help the investigation, please come forward to the LAPD.