Minnesota Mother Loses 14-Year-Old Son Demaris after He Was Shot Following a Graduation Party

The shooting of a 14-year-old boy, during a graduation party in Edgewood Avenue, Woodbury, on Saturday night has raised concern over the security of the youth in Minnesota.

Demaris Nathan Hobbs-Ekdahl, 14, was leaving a graduation party in the Woodbury neighborhood when he was brutally shot. He was in the company of his brother, Davion, 16. The Woodbury Police posted on their Facebook page

The teen, who had just completed his freshman year, was having fun at the party with his brother when three men started threatening Davon. Demaris, scared, called his mother to tell her that they were leaving the party

The two then walked to their car where they were shot at as they attempted to drive away from the men. That is when Demaris started repeatedly saying that he couldn’t breathe. People started screaming for help

Their devastated father drove his injured son to Regions Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Their mother, Trisha Ekdahl, was heartbroken from the loss of her teen son. Speaking to People Magazine, she said;

“I don't know what to do. I lost my baby, they didn't even let me say goodbye to him at the hospital. They took him straight to the morgue.”

Witnesses claimed that a white SUV fled the scene after the shooting and must’ve been involved. The police stated that it was not a random act and the parties involved must have been familiar with each other

Several houses near the scene of the shooting were caught in the gunfire but luckily, none of the residents were harmed. The case is now an ongoing investigation with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

In New Orleans alone, 3 people died, and 13 others were injured during the Memorial Day Weekend. One of the victims was a 12-year-old girl.

The family, chaperoned by the victim’s aunt, Michelle Ekdahl, has since started a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $20,000 for Demaris’ funeral. The fund has so far raised about $12,000.

Demaris’ family gathered at Richard Walton Memorial Park in Oakdale on Sunday, to honor the young man’s memory. During a tribute to the teen, his aunt wrote;

"Loved football and loved doing mechanical work and watching his uncle race cars. He didn't deserve to be taken like this"

In the last few years, shootings have become so rampant. In New Orleans alone, 3 people died, and 13 others were injured during the Memorial Day Weekend. One of the victims was a 12-year-old girl.

She had attended a graduation party when gunfire broke out at the party, but the worst happened and she was shot at. She died from her injuries at a nearby hospital. The suspect is yet to be identified.

The other victims, who were 18 and 19 did not sustain life-threatening injuries. They were treated at a nearby hospital. Gun violence is on the rise, and it is taking with it the youth of this country

Ferguson, the New Orleans police department chief said there was a spike in the number of deaths by shooting and that the criminal justice system should play its part in preventing the reoccurrence of these cases.