Loss
“We risk loss, hurt, pain. We risk being acted upon by forces outside our control.”—bell hooks
The Shooting at 848 Conners Street
August, 2019
In Dayton, OH on August 28, 2019, 17-year-old Devin Henderson and 17-year-old Javier Harrison were shot in their backs and killed by a property owner claiming that he discovered the pair—and a third unharmed party—smoking weed on his property in a detached garage.
Following their deaths, Devin’s mother, Linda Henderson, and Javier’s father, Jimmy Harrison, Jr., began to gather family and friends to hold a weekly Sunday vigil honoring the lives of the two boys.
“Murder,” scrawled in blood-red spray paint, looms large on the quiet 800 block of Conners Street. A few weeks later after this tagging, the house would be burned to the ground by an unknown arsonist. No one was harmed in the fire.
Devin Henderson's sister, Davonna Henderson (right), provides comfort while staring at the word "murder" scrawled on the property where Devin died.
Following the fire started by an unknown arsonist, pieces of the home at 848 Conners Street--including the paneling with the address--are scattered amongst the charred debris.
Children gather for a weekly Sunday vigil honoring the lives of Devin Henderson and Javier Harrison.
Linda Henderson, the mother of Devin, weeps outside of the property where her 17-year-old son died in August of 2019.
A child and mother participate in a weekly vigil and gathering honoring the lives of Devin Henderson and Javier Harrison.
Wearing shirts with his face placed prominently on them, mourners gather in honor of their lost loved one, 17-year-old Devin Henderson, who was shot in his back and killed by a property owner on August 28, 2019.
Mourners place their hands together to honor Devin Henderson and Javier Harrison.
Wearing shirts with his face placed prominently on them, mourners gather in honor of their lost loved one, 17-year-old Devin Henderson, who was shot in his back and killed by a property owner on August 28, 2019.
Linda Henderson (left) and her daughter and Devin's sister, Davonna Henderson (right), embrace each other during a Sunday vigil.
On the 800 block of Conners Street, Devin Henderson and Javier Harrison were shot and killed.
In the days following Devin Henderson's death, family members and friends carry a jar with his face on it as a means of funeral funds.
Jimmy Harrison, Jr., the father of Javier Harrison, records a Sunday vigil on his phone.
Mourners gather and hold hands in a prayer circle.
Mourners gather to honor Devin Henderson and Javier Harrison.
In the rain, mourners gather to honor Devin Henderson and Javier Harrison on a cold Sunday afternoon.
The garage (right) where Devin Henderson and Javier Harrison were shot and killed. Remnants of caution tape are visible near the property's edge.