Family, friends and coaches gathered to mourn the death of 14-year-old Dajae Coleman at his funeral Saturday.
“It’s wrong because he died for no reason, he was a good kid,” said friend Denzel Davies about Coleman, who was shot and killed last weekend.
It was standing room only at the First Church of God Christian Life Center at 1524 Simpson Street in Evanston, as mourners packed the church and waited in long lines to pay their respects.
Police have charged Wesley Woodson III, 20, of the 1700 block of Ashland Avenue with Coleman’s death in what they say is a case of mistaken identity and gang bravado.
“I’m mad because he didn’t do anything wrong, he was innocent. And the man that shot him thought that a group of freshmen were men.
Police say Woodson was looking for revenge after his cousin was jumped by a group near Evanston Township High School last Saturday Night, the same night Coleman and his friends were walking home from a party when Woodson allegedly opened fire at the group.
At Coleman’s funeral Saturday, friends, family and his coaches described him as an honor student; a standout football and basketball player with an infectious smile and so much confidence.
Coleman’s death has garnered not only national attention, but also the attention Miami Heat player Lebron James who tweeted “My prayers go to the family and friends of Dajae Coleman and all of Evanston. The violence has to end.”
