Demetrius Townsel Jr. was 12 when he was fatally shot while visiting family in Gary, Indiana. He was a sixth-grade student at Bailey Academy in Chicago, known for enjoying math and gym, playing video games and wanting to play basketball. The shooting occurred on Saturday, May 16, 2020, around 9 p.m. in the 2600 block of Pierce Street after Demetrius, his twin brother Darius, and two other children had left a gas station with a 21-year-old relative. A bullet struck Demetrius in the head; his twin brother applied pressure to the wound as they rushed him to Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus, where he was pronounced dead.

The Gary Police Department opened a homicide investigation, saying no one in the car appeared to be the intended target. Family members and community activists held press conferences and a reward was offered for information leading to an arrest. No public announcement of arrests or identified suspects has been made. If anyone has information about that evening or the people involved, please come forward.