A 15-year-old football player from Knoxville, Tennessee was hailed as a hero by no less than U.S. President Barack Obama after he was killed Thursday night while trying to protect three girls during a shooting.
The Knoxville Police Department identified the victim as Zaevion Dobson, a student at Fulton High School who was shot in the head and killed after he jumped on top of the girls to shield them from gunfire.
Three incidents were recorded by police in overnight shootings in the city that resulted in two deaths.
The first shooting happened at 7:18 p.m. when shots were fired and two people in a residence on Dallas Street were struck multiple times, police said.
Lisa Perry, 46, was shot inside her home and was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Her 23-year-old son, Brandon, together with other males, then drove to Lonsdale area and randomly fired multiple shots into a crowd, hitting Dobson.
Brandon Perry, who was identified by the police as a suspect in the Dobson's shooting, was later shot by unidentified men while driving a car, police said.
Obama tweeted, "Zaevion Dobson died saving three friends from getting shot. He was a hero at 15. What's our excuse for not acting?"
Football coach Rob Black said Dobson was a natural born leader.
"He's a sophomore only and already successful, already leading a life that's contagious that people follow. So very liked by his peers and his teachers and his teammates. And that makes him successful," said Black, according to WVLT.
Dobson's brother, Zack, said "he loved football."
"That's what he did. He came home from school did his homework, watched film, watched documentaries of it, players," he said.
Assistant Principal Jody Wright tweeted, "Hearts are broken here at FHS. Please keep our athletes, students and faculty in your prayers. We lost a fine young man. Proud he was a Falcon."
"If it wasn't for Zaevion, if he would have just ran off the porch, we would have probably been shot," Kiara Rucker told WVLT.
Faith Gordon said Dobson saved her life. "You're my hero, I'll never forget you," she posted on Twitter.
