Xavier Montrail Thomas
Age 18
Shreveport, Louisiana
Candles flicker against darkness for Zay
In July 2016, his friend died in a drive-by shooting. Days later, he updated his Facebook cover photo to an image that said, “Long live Eddie Cane.”
Two years later, his name was spelled out in candles, six bright flames. Loved ones sang for the boy nicknamed “Zay.” They held red and white balloons — his favorite colors.
On Nov. 21, 2018, Xavier Montrail Thomas, 18, was found on the porch of a vacant house in Shreveport, Louisiana, with a gunshot wound to the upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
