Seven-year-old De’Vonte Ja’Ton Housley Jr., known to family as Dunk Jr. or Dooda, was fatally shot in his Youngstown, Ohio, home on Marmion Avenue on October 22, 2023. Officers found him with a gunshot wound and life-saving measures were performed before he was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Youngstown Police Department initially described the incident as an accidental shooting.

A Mahoning County grand jury later indicted De’Vonte’s mother, 30-year-old Marquaysha A. Driver, on involuntary manslaughter and four counts of child endangering; if convicted she faces a possible sentence exceeding 10 years. De’Vonte was a second-grade student at Youngstown Community School and was remembered for his radiant smile, laughter, and loves for football, seafood, dancing, and chocolate-glazed donuts. His grandmother Carla Molina, who raised him for his first six years, said he was a sweet child who didn’t deserve this.

Anyone with information about what happened that day or who knew De’Vonte is asked to come forward.