$10K reward in South Holland, Illinois shooting that killed 16-year-old Davell Holden
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information on who shot and killed a 16-year-old boy in South Holland, Illinois over the weekend.
Davell Holden, a Thornwood High School basketball player on the cusp of starting his junior year, was fatally shot on Saturday, Aug. 2.
His mother Angela Birts said he had asked her to go to a friend's house near 160th and Drexel that evening. She checked his location to make sure he got there safely. Then she got the devastating call that he had been shot.
"I just remember screaming, yelling, praying in the car on the way there like, 'Lord, please help my baby,'" Birts said.
But her son did not survive; he died from his injuries at the hospital. She said she's now relying on her faith to get her through this tragic time. She finds peace knowing how many people he impacted, and how much he was loved.
"I want everyone to know, this was not for my son," she said. "This was not the way my son deserved to die."
Birts said Tuesday several of Holden's friends passed out a flyer on the block where he was shot, seeking information about his killer. St. Sabina Church and the Village of South Holland are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
"He wasn't a man of many words, but he displayed his love to you through actions," said his best friend Kay'Shaun Thomas. "That was his love language, if you will. He took care of you. He made sure you were OK before he was OK. He'd put you first. He was a selfless person, if you will."
A group of friends, family and community members gathered on the Thornwood High School football field for a commemorative balloon release for Holden. He was remembered as an honor roll student with straight As and hopes for a career in basketball.
"My baby was loved by so many people and this is just a testament of it," Birts said. "I'm proud of the young man that I raised. My son was everything."
The balloon release was a way for the community to mourn together, but they also want answers as to who did this to Holden.
Birts said his 9-year-old brother has been quiet since the shooting, but some of his classmates, including Thomas, said this fuels their sense of purpose.
"We gotta be better," Thomas said. "We gotta mature, we gotta grow. We gotta put in two times the work."
Thomas said he has no idea who did this or why it happened, but he has a message for his best friend's killer.
"I pray for you and I pray to God that you find him very soon," he said.