Justice Michael Dunham was 17 when he was shot and killed by a single gunshot to the chest on the evening of December 14, 2021, in the parking lot of Menchville High School in Newport News, Virginia. The Woodside High School junior and varsity football player had just left a basketball game. Family and friends remembered him for an infectious smile, spunky energy, loyalty to his friends, and his fearless play on the football field.

Authorities arrested 18-year-old Demari Batten and charged him with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and shooting a firearm on school grounds. Batten told investigators and testified that he fired after being attacked while sitting in his car and that he acted in self-defense; prosecutors said the shooting was an excessive and unjustified use of force. A jury in October 2022 deadlocked on the murder count but convicted Batten on three firearm charges. A retrial on the homicide charge followed, and in January 2024 a jury found Batten not guilty of voluntary manslaughter, closing the criminal case.

Does anyone who knew Justice or was at the game that night have information that could shed more light on what happened?