SAN ANTONIO – A memorial was held Friday afternoon for 4-year-old D’earlvion Whitley, who was shot and killed during a gang-related drive-by shooting one year ago on the East Side.
Friends and loved ones gathered to remember the little boy and share the love they had for him.
D’earlvion’s mother, Cyntwanisha Whitley, was also injured. She said she will never forget opening her son’s bedroom door and finding him shot.
“The worst feeling. The worst vision. It is not something when you hold at birth to looking at this. This is traumatic,” she said.
Memorial attendees celebrated the child’s life through the color yellow to match the “Minions” theme of his fourth birthday. They also had a piñata with the number 2, which was his favorite number.
Whitley stayed strong while remembering her favorite memories of her son.
“He gets on the bike and he’s like ‘pose.’ So I am like, ‘This kid is somebody else’s. I don’t know whose kid he is,” she said.
Balloons were released while D’earlvion’s favorite song played during the memorial.
The family says it’s still in need of closure as D’earlvion’s killer is yet to be found.
“I expected more. I expected justice. I expected someone to be charged, and they haven’t been. But you know what? My faith is in the Lord,” said Temekia O'Connor, D’earlvion’s grandmother.
Several arrests have been made in possible connection with the drive-by shooting, but nobody has been formally charged in the murder.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867.