Darvelle Nelson, a 13-year-old male, was fatally shot on the afternoon of November 24, 2025, inside a home on the 1800 block of Balkan Place in west Toledo, Ohio. Police received a call shortly after 2 p.m. reporting a shooting at the address, and responding officers found him inside the residence suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, identified in local reporting as ProMedica Toledo Hospital or an area medical center, where he was later pronounced dead.
The following day, an autopsy was performed at the Lucas County Coroner’s Office. The coroner reported that Darvelle had suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest that damaged a major blood vessel near the heart and the left lung. The official cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. The place of injury was recorded specifically as 1835 Balkan Place in Toledo, matching the residential location where first responders initially found him.
Toledo police have treated the case as an active homicide investigation. Detectives at the scene confirmed that the shooting occurred inside the home and emphasized that they were still piecing together what led up to the gunfire. As of the latest available public reports, authorities have not announced any arrests or publicly identified a suspect or suspects in connection with Darvelle’s killing. Investigators have urged anyone with information to contact the local Crime Stoppers tip line at 419-255-1111, noting that callers may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward.
Darvelle’s death has been documented by regional and national gun-violence tracking sites as one of a series of recent fatal shootings in Toledo, and local coverage has highlighted that his killing adds to a troubling count of homicides involving minors in the city this year. Memorial posts and tribute articles describe him as a bright, playful, and warm-hearted child whose loss has devastated his family, friends, and the wider neighborhood, prompting community grieving and online candlelight remembrances. Public reporting from official records and news outlets currently identifies him only by name, age, and sex; they do not provide a documented statement of his race or ethnicity, so that information cannot be reliably included from available online sources.
