A holiday celebration turned to tragedy in Mobile, Alabama, leaving a young man dead and his family seeking answers. DaShaun Valentino Bonner, a 22-year-old male, was fatally shot on July 4, 2024, in the parking lot of the Academy Sports and Outdoors at the Festival Center. He succumbed to his injuries the following day.
On the day of the incident, Bonner and a companion, Benjamin Smith, had been inside the sporting goods store.
Smith reported that his car was broken into while they were shopping. The two had returned to the store to obtain security camera footage of the break-in when another vehicle approached them, and its occupants opened fire. Witnesses reported seeing several men shooting at the silver car Bonner was in. An estimated 15 to 20 shots were heard. After the barrage of gunfire, Bonner was driven to a local hospital, where he later died.
In the wake of the shooting, the Mobile Police Department began an investigation and sought the public's help in identifying those responsible. They released an image of a person believed to be involved in the shooting and later identified 19-year-old Curtis Lee Ridge III as a person of interest whom they wanted to question. Police also circulated a photograph of a minor who was also wanted in connection with the fatal shooting. As of late August 2024, no arrests had been publicly announced.
Friends and family remember DaShaun Bonner as a family man who was looking forward to celebrating his birthday later that month. He was the father of two young children. His cousin, Benjamin Smith, described him as someone who loved everybody and was not involved in any conflicts that would lead to such a violent end. The investigation into his death is ongoing.
