Deunte Lamar Cooks was 12 when he was fatally shot at his mother’s home in the 2500 block of Bammelwood Drive in northwest Harris County on January 1, 2015. A seventh-grader who enjoyed playing piano and was active in his church, Deunte was born July 11, 2002, to Deundra Cooks and Debbie D. Norwood. Family members say Rogerious Grant, who has Down Syndrome, was grazed by a bullet and survived, and Deunte’s brother Dashawn Norwood was shot multiple times but survived.

Authorities allege Kahlid Yusuf Worrell, known as Chirp, knocked on the door asking for Dashawn and shot into the home; Worrell was arrested January 6, 2015, and charged with murder. The family has said the shooting may have been related to a dispute over money, but a clear motive has not been established. Deunte’s father described his son as in the right place at the wrong time and said no punishment would bring him back.

Deunte’s family and community remember him for his kind heart and his hopes to become a preacher and a doctor. If anyone has information about the shooting or knew Deunte and his family, please come forward.