On a September afternoon in 2015, 14-year-old Desean Fountain, an African American male, was walking home from school in his East Liberty, Pittsburgh neighborhood. It was around 4:30 p.m. on Friday, September 4th, when shots rang out at an apartment complex on Ipswich Court. Desean, who was standing between housing units with his backpack on, was struck by the gunfire.
He was rushed to Children's Hospital in critical condition, having been shot in the head.
For several days, Desean fought for his life, undergoing surgery for his injuries. However, his battle came to a tragic end on Wednesday, September 9, 2015, when he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The community was left reeling from the senseless act of violence that cut short the life of a promising young student and athlete. Desean was remembered as a great student and a participant in Amachi Pittsburgh, a mentoring program for youth.
In the wake of his death, family, friends, and community members gathered for vigils to honor Desean's memory and to call for an end to the violence plaguing their streets. Despite the public outcry and a reward of up to $1,000 offered by Pittsburgh Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest, Desean Fountain's case remains unsolved. To this day, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in connection with his murder. In his memory, the DeSean Fountain Memorial Fund was established at The Pittsburgh Foundation to support mentoring and after-school programs for children.
