DeShawn Mitchell was 19 when he was fatally shot on March 14, 2024, in Sarasota’s Newtown neighborhood. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office says the shooting happened on the 2400 block of 23rd Street late that Thursday evening; multiple gunshots were reported and witnesses described people fleeing and a red sedan leaving the area. Deputies searched with K-9 units but did not find anyone at the scene that night, and Mitchell’s body was found the following morning near where the shooting occurred.

Mitchell was born September 20, 2004, and is survived by his mother, Sheerina Haygood, siblings and extended family; he was preceded in death by his father, Lashawn Mitchell Sr., and a sister, Janiyah Tyson. A visitation was scheduled for March 29, 2024, at Chandler’s Funeral Home in Sarasota. The Sheriff’s Office is investigating and asking anyone with information to come forward.

Did anyone in the Sarasota community see the red sedan or the people witnesses described fleeing that night?