Fourteen-year-old Lizaiah LaMeir Burdette, an eighth-grader at Edwin Joel Brown Middle School, was shot and killed on April 29, 2025. Family described him as kind and caring; his sister Justice said he had a vibrant personality and was deeply loved. He was found bleeding in a car on Davis Avenue, but investigators later determined the shooting occurred on Fauver Avenue, about four miles away. A 911 call reported the discovery and noted the shooting had not happened at the vehicle’s location. Lizaiah was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he died.

Dayton police arrested 26-year-old Austin Fitchpatrick on Westwood Avenue later that day; he was booked on tampering with evidence and obstructing official business, not murder. Authorities have not disclosed whether additional suspects are being sought or if further charges will be filed. The family’s GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses quickly reached its goal. If anyone has information about Lizaiah’s death or the events on Fauver Avenue that night, please come forward.