Deshon DuBose was a gentle giant and wise beyond his years. The seventh-grader towered over most of his fellow students at Drew Charter School, the place he had attended since pre-K on the east side of Atlanta.
“Some of the kids would jokingly call him grandfather or grandpa, because he had a little old soul,” said Shaun Harris, Drew Charter’s Junior Academy dean of students. “He would always ask me, ‘How’s your mom doing? How’s the family doing?’”
“And he talked to everybody, administrative assistant, the principal, custodians. I mean, he was just that kind of kid,” added Harris, whose first memory of Deshon was when the student came into his office to introduce himself on the first day of school in sixth grade.
Now, the 13-year-old’s desk and locker are covered with heartfelt messages written on paper and sticky notes, detailing how the school isn’t the same without him, and how they miss him. Others read, “Long Live Deshon,” or called for an end to gun violence.
Deshon was fatally shot Saturday after leaving the Cascade Family Skating rink in southwest Atlanta. He had been there with other teenagers and was shot after gunfire erupted between two groups in the area, said Duwon Robinson, who witnessed the shooting and spoke this week at the Atlanta City Council meeting.
Credit: Laurin McClung
Credit: Laurin McClung
Credit: Laurin McClung
Credit: Laurin McClung
His mother, Charlett DuBose, said she would pick up Deshon from school every day and take him to a nearby YMCA, where he would swim and play basketball with a classmate.
“He had my permission to go to the skating rink. I let him go to the skating rink and I wasn’t expecting for this to happen like this,” she said. “It’s still shocking to me. It still feels unreal to me. They took my baby.”
The morning after the shooting, Harris remembered feeling numb at home after getting a call that Deshon had died. He didn’t want to believe it.
“Drew is not a big school, we are a very small community-based school, (with) roughly 150 kids in each grade. So we really have an opportunity to know each student by name, by face,” Harris said. “That was part of why I just didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t believe it, because I never could imagine anything like this happening to Deshon at all.”
Harris tried to wrap his head around how to best support his students when they returned to school. He said Deshon’s death was felt from kindergarten to 12th grade, so counselors were made available at both the school’s lower and upper campuses.
Despite their pain, grieving students found the strength to honor his memory by decorating his locker and desk, and writing messages in chalk in the front of the school.
Credit: Laurin McClung
Credit: Laurin McClung
“They also made banners that the kids signed,” Harris said, “which was their form of being able to kind of tribute in some way.”
Credit: Laurin McClung
Credit: Laurin McClung
Harris said he grew close to Deshon after the student volunteered to be part of a K-12 mentoring program called “Dreamers,” which focuses on community service and exposure. During a trip last Halloween, Deshon and a few other kids traveled to Uncle Shuck’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Dawsonville.
It was their first time at a corn maze, and when it started to get dark, Harris said Deshon and the kids jokingly started calling their parents to tell them “we’re not making it out of here!”
Charlett DuBose said her son, who wanted to be a pastor like his grandfather, was never angry and always found a way to brighten her day.
Credit: Photo provided by Family of Deshon DuBose
Credit: Photo provided by Family of Deshon DuBose
“If he knows that I’m down, he knows how to make me smile,” she said. “He knows how to lift me up. That is what my child did.”
Harris said his most recent memory of Deshon was a few weeks ago when the 13-year-old dedicated a few hours after school to help create and design shoeboxes, which they filled with hygiene and feminine products to give to less fortunate people in the area. Harris said Deshon stayed as late as possible to make sure everything was done smoothly and the boxes were packed correctly.
“That’s one thing I really want people to know that his love of community service and his love of Drew and wanting to give back,” Harris said.
On Thursday, that love was directed back at Deshon from those at the school, who dressed in all white and wore black sunglasses — the attire he enjoyed wearing. The school’s basketball team also retired the No. 54 and created a plaque in his honor during their last home game Thursday evening.
“He loved, loved, loved basketball and specifically our Drew basketball team. He came to every game and I’m not just saying that,” Harris said. “His best friend played basketball. So he really would go to support his teammates, his classmates.”
Harris said the school again dressed up Friday, this time in red, as a tribute to one of Deshon’s favorite colors. As of Friday morning, a GoFundMe page created by the family had raised more than $23,000.
While Deshon won’t be stopping by Harris’ office anymore to grab a snack, water or some candy, his kindness and smile will be forever remembered.
“He was a very tall kid compared to other seventh-graders,” Harris said, “but he had such a gentle, peaceful soul about him ... always.”
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