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Dametrius Louis Benson

Age 17

Wilmington, Delaware

Girlfriend, family will miss his playfulness

Nicknamed “Meat,” friends said he always had “an infectious smile that would light up your heart.”

He was loved for his playfulness and laid-back personality. You could find him spending quality time with his family and his girlfriend and eating his favorite snacks: sunflower seeds and gushers.

He had obtained all of the necessary credits and looked forward to graduating from Howard High School of Technology, where he had found his passion working with HVACs.

Dametrius Louis Benson, 17, was shot in Wilmington, Delaware, on January 24, 2019. He died at a nearby hospital.

By Callia Yuan · Age 16 and Madison Hahamy · Age 18
Meet the Reporters

More than 100 diligent students

Ryan Amadeo Dela Cruz

Gone, two weeks shy of graduation

Jo'Markius Fuller

Never to wear grandma’s scarves again

Lorenzo Moore-Vaughn

About to start his senior year

Shondricka J'Nay Adams

Celebrating one night, gone the next

Jayden Fondeur

His older brother found him first

Jontae Billups-Brooks

An athlete and a music lover

Caydence Nicole Painter

Reading, dancing, playing. Siblings shot together.

Favian Isiah Carrillo Duran

Respectful, shy teen did grandma’s chores

Telvin Goll

He wished for the American Dream

Amariah C. Emery

On her T-shirt, a peace sign

Jon-Marvin Revels Jacobs

He was on his way home

Christopher Johnson

Making others better versions of themselves

Xzariah Denecca Rice

Her father died in her arms

Martez Christopher Wade

“He wasn’t a statistic,” said mom

NeQuacia Porsha Jacobs-Lewis

High school graduation, diploma, career — gone

Jonathan David Freeman Jr.

Debated anything, from music to Deflategate

Kevin Wilson Jr.

Star athlete with a bright future

Kaileigh Lin Collier

Was “more beautiful than she knew”

Martin Duque Anguiano

An ambitious, bright boy, senselessly killed

Francisco Puentes

Mom never received the happy news