President Obama took to Twitter on Sunday to honor Zaevion Dobson, a Knoxville, Tennessee teenager killed on Thursday night as he shielded several girls from gunfire.
Zaevion Dobson died saving three friends from getting shot. He was a hero at 15. What's our excuse for not acting? https://t.co/hn98uGsjKZ— President Obama (@POTUS) December 20, 2015
Authorities believe that the shooting that killed Dobson was a gang-related retaliation for an earlier shooting, but there was no indication that Dobson was specifically targeted.
It began Thursday night when Lisa Perry was shot inside her apartment (Perry survived). Perry's 23-year-old son, Brandon Perry, and several other men then drove to the neighborhood where Dobson lived and opened fire on a group of young men and women who were gathered on a porch, according to Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch.
Brandon Perry was later found to have been shot after he crashed a car into another apartment. He died from his injuries on Friday morning. Two other men who fled from the crash were arrested, though one was later released after being questioned. The other is being held without bond.
UPDATE:Suspect Arrested in Connection w/ Three Overnight Shootings That Resulted in 2 Deaths https://t.co/YL9FPb7jDU pic.twitter.com/Q3esI3QquT— Knoxville Police (@Knoxville_PD) December 18, 2015
Of the victims, Rausch said, "Unfortunately, they picked a random group of young men and women who were just hanging out and trying to prepare to celebrate the holiday."
The three girls who Dobson shielded all survived the shooting uninjured. One of the young women told WVLT, "If it wasn't for Zaevion, if he would have just ran off the porch, we would have probably been shot."
Dobson's brother Zack told WBIR, "Why would you shoot at random bystanders? For nothing. We were just sitting there chilling.”
Rausch added, "These cowardly and senseless acts of violence must stop. We should be preparing to celebrate the Christmas holiday, but now we have two men who are dead."
After Zaevion's death, his friends took to social media to remember the young man who was called a "fine, fine young man" by one of his football coaches and "one of our success stories,” by Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero.
#RIPZAE We mustRemember that tomorrow comes after the dark So you will always be in my heartwith unconditional love pic.twitter.com/ssUsRA7lze— RIPZAE2️⃣4️⃣ (@CMOBB6) December 18, 2015
"Not all heroes wear capes." #RIP #ZaevionDobson pic.twitter.com/lEA0Q7OwA9— IG: @Looce (@getlooce) December 20, 2015
On Sunday morning, Zack took to Zaevion's Twitter account for a quick post honoring his brother.
This Zack he never logged out his Twitter. we here #24strong— Zaevion Dobson (@_zdobbs24) December 20, 2015
Supporters of Dobson's family have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his funeral arrangements.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.