Louisville is mourning the death of Da'Jon Anthony Hayes-Burr, a 15-year-old who was fatally shot on Saturday night in the Shawnee neighborhood. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, and a 14-year-old has been booked on a count of murder, according to authorities.
Teenager had been praised for intervening
In April, Hayes-Burr had made headlines for protecting a 12-year-old girl from sexual harassment by a 45-year-old man, Vasilis Sakellardis. The girl's mother, Kristyn Stasel, recounted that after leaving a fireworks show, a man made a sexual comment about her daughter. When she said the girl was 12, the man replied, 'Never too young to have some fun.' Stasel began screaming for help.
Hayes-Burr and other teenage boys confronted the man. Sakellardis allegedly tried to charge at Stasel but was thrown to the ground. During a tussle, Sakellardis stabbed Hayes-Burr before police arrested him. Hayes-Burr spent a night in the hospital and later told WHAS, 'a lot of grown men around … weren’t going to do [anything]. So, we had to do something.'
Recognition and aftermath
The Louisville city council awarded Hayes-Burr a proclamation for 'extraordinary courage, compassion and selflessness.' Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear sent a letter and a ceremonial challenge coin in May. After Hayes-Burr's death, Beshear said, 'Da’Jon was a child of God whose life was taken far too soon, and his bravery and selflessness will leave a lasting impact on the Louisville community.'
Crystal Bast, a Louisville council member, said, 'I can’t stop thinking about … the life he should have lived [and] the difference he could have continued making in this world. We have babies out here killing babies. Something has to change.'
A fundraiser for Hayes-Burr's mother was shared on social media. A family statement called his death 'tragic and senseless' and asked the public 'to honor Da’Jone’s memory by choosing kindness, standing up for others, and helping us put an end to the senseless violence.'
