DEANDRE L CHOICE - 15 yo - Trotwood/Dayton, OH

January 19, 2014

DAYTON -- A 15-year-old boy was found around 2 p.m. on Sunday shot dead in the 400 block of Westwood.

Police say there was a possible abduction out of Trotwood recently, so police are trying to figure out if they're related.

A big missing piece to the investigation right now is trying to figure out  exactly when this teenager was shot.

Dayton Police Lt. Mark Ponichtera said they didn't get a call from neighbors until 2 p.m. on Sunday when they found the body near a garage in an alley.

Ponichtera said a neighbor reportedly heard gun shots late Saturday or early Sunday morning, but they never called police.

Ponichtera emphasizes that they need help from the public, "most neighborhoods have a network feel, so, when things occur it's a situation where neighborhoods seem to know more about it then we do and that's why we need the public's help to solve these things."

Detectives tell us although they don't know when the shooting happened they think it was some time after the snow stopped early Sunday because the teen wasn't covered in snow. Were told it may be hard to determine a cause of death because of the cold temperatures.

Dayton Police are working with Trotwood police. Check back for updates.

http://www.abc22now.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/wkef_vid_18212.shtml

Tuesday, January 21 2014, 12:08 PM EST
UPDATE: 15-Year-Old Boy Found Dead in Dayton
UPDATE -- The Montgomery County Coroner has identified a Trotwood teen found shot to death in a Dayton alley as 15-year-old Deandre L. Choice.

Dayton police say the teen was last seen Friday in Dayton at an event at DJ's Party Room off  Hoover Avenue.

He wasn't seen again until a neighbor in the 400 block of Westwood found his body in an alley.

Police tell us Choice was found shot three times.

"Without the assistance of the public, we can't solve and prosecute these cases," Dayton Police Lt. Wendy Stiver said.

Stiver says police can't say much about the investigation because they're worried about more violence as a result, "there are other people who may be at risk in the community as a result of this investigation and we need to be very careful to protect any other potential victims," she said.

We caught up with community leaders in Dayton working to protect against crime scenes like Sunday.

"We don't want them to rest in peace. When you rest in peace its a death style. We want them to live in peace. It's a lifestyle," said CIRGV street advocate Marlon Shackelford.

Shackelford is a part of CIRGV, one of many initiatives in the community to reduce gun violence by reaching out to teens on the street.

Dayton Police tell us Choice was not a random target and that he knew the suspect or suspects. They also say Choice had affiliations and relationships that put him at risk.

http://www.abc22now.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/wkef_vid_18212.shtml