Dontae Michael Carroll, a 15-year-old male, died on September 2, 2023, in Fairmont, West Virginia, after being lost to gun violence. He was from Worthington and had been born in Fairmont on November 12, 2007, to Martin Brooks and Whitney Carroll Ridenour. Public memorial information described Dontae as a boy who did not know a stranger, someone remembered for hugs, an easy smile, and a personality that drew people close to him.
In the days after his death, the story that emerged publicly
was not filled with detailed police narratives or courtroom filings, but with the grief of a family and community trying to absorb the loss of a teenager. Dontae was remembered as someone who loved being around family, especially his Uncle Travis, who was described as his best friend. They spent time walking, riding around, and doing simple things together just for the joy of it. He also loved sitting at the piano with his Uncle Justin and learning songs, including the Michael Myers theme song, which he used to scare his mother.
Dontae’s life was described in the ordinary details of a young teenager who should have had many years ahead of him. He enjoyed video games, especially Fortnite and Call of Duty Zombies, rode his dirt bike, played cards, and spent time with friends and relatives. His obituary listed many surviving family members, including his parents, stepfather, brothers, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and church family, showing how many people were left behind when his life ended.
Online memorial sources identify Dontae’s death as a gun violence death in Fairmont on September 2, 2023. However, available public online sources did not provide detailed circumstances of the shooting, identify a suspect, or report a confirmed arrest, criminal charge, trial, or conviction connected to his death. The publicly available record appears limited mostly to memorial pages, obituary information, and gun violence memorial listings rather than detailed law enforcement updates.
The loss of Dontae Michael Carroll stands as the death of a child remembered more through love than through official detail. What is publicly known is that he died in Fairmont at age 15, that his death was tied to gun violence, and that the people closest to him remembered a boy with a bright smile, a close bond with his family, and a life that ended far too early.
