Teen shot in Raleigh remembered as athlete, musician

RALEIGH, N.C. — The family of Damien Dunn gathered Friday to mourn the teen, who was shot and killed at a neighbor's home on Walnut Street June 13.

Dunn's mother, who had been recovering at WakeMed after having her leg amputated, found out just yesterday that her son was dead.

David Dunn did not want to upset his wife, so he withheld the news of their loss while she recovered. Friday, he took her to see Damien at the funeral home.

"It was real hard, real hard for her, but she's accepting it. Every day she's accepting it," David Dunn said.

Damien, 14, had just completed seventh grade at West Cary Middle School.

He was an athlete and musician, an all-around good kid who was never in trouble, neighbors told WRAL News. According to family friends, Damien played basketball and football, and was a drummer with the Helping Hand Mission band.

Sylvia Wiggins of Helping Hand Mission mourned Damien's lost potential. "The leader that he would have been, he was a role model," she said.

"We're always going to miss him. He's going to be my brother until the end of time," Damien's friend Taiquan Ross added.

Two people were charged in Damien's shooting.

Fruikwan Dion Rashard Stewart, 18, was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Stewart has a criminal record and was on probation at the time of the crime, according to state Department of Correction records. His crimes included breaking-and-entering and drug charges.

At a court appearance Friday, Assistant District Attorney Susan Spurlin asked that Stewart's history be considered when his bond was set for this case. The judge raised Stewart's bond from $50,000 to $100,000.

Eboni Dominique Mitchell, 18, of Garner, was charged with being an accessory after the fact to involuntary manslaughter. Investigators said she helped Stewart escape from police.