Rickey Ferguson Jr. was a 16-year-old sophomore and standout safety at Deerfield Beach High School who loved football and hoped to attend the University of Alabama. Friends, a coach and a former teacher described him as humble, focused on his future and well known in the classroom and on the field.

On the afternoon of December 28, 2022, Rickey was playing football with friends at Westside Park in Deerfield Beach. Shortly after 5 p.m. near the 400 block of Southwest Second Street, he was shot in the head and taken to Broward Health North in extremely critical condition. He died from his injuries on January 4, 2023.

Surveillance footage and witness statements showed a 14-year-old, later identified as Keantae Vaughn, walking around Rickey moments before the shot. Witnesses said Vaughn and others had jumped a fence and were playing with a gun; one witness said Vaughn took Rickey’s hat, Rickey chased him, Vaughn pointed the gun and it fired. Vaughn was arrested December 30, 2022, initially charged with attempted second-degree murder and later indicted as an adult for first-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and in January 2026 was sentenced to 25 years in state prison, with credit for time served.

Does anyone who knew Rickey or was at Westside Park that afternoon have information that could add detail to what happened?