In the East End of Richmond, Virginia, a community mourned the loss of 17-year-old Dashawn Cox, an African-American male known affectionately as 'DaeDae.' A senior at Armstrong High School, Dashawn was shot and killed on the afternoon of Thursday, February 17, 2022. The fatal shooting occurred outside the Ashley Oaks Apartments, marking the city's first juvenile homicide of the year.
Dashawn was remembered as a bright young man with a passion for reading.
His high school principal recalled him as a student who always showed up, so engrossed in books that the librarian began purchasing them specifically for him. He was described by those who knew him as a pleasant individual who enjoyed dressing up and good food. His death sent ripples of grief through his family and the wider community, who gathered for a candlelight vigil in the days following the tragedy. Dressed in Armstrong High School's colors of blue and orange, friends, family, and city leaders came together to honor his memory and plead for an end to the violence plaguing their city.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement had not made any arrests and had not publicly identified any suspects. Dashawn's family, including his mother, Berthenia Brown, and his adoptive sister, Shawn Brown, made emotional pleas to the public for anyone with information to come forward. Their calls for justice echoed the community's frustration and sorrow over the violent loss of a young life with so much promise. As of the latest available online reports, the case remains unsolved, with no publicly announced arrests or suspects in the murder of Dashawn Cox.
