NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Erster Dionysos Hatch, known by loved ones as DJ, was gunned down at 6:20 a.m. on Sept. 10, two blocks from his home, as the 10th grader waited for the bus to take him to Menchville High School.

The brazen attack prompted school officials to provide extra security around Menchville that day.

But apparently, that wasn’t the only day the school was on alert.

According to the victim’s father, DJ was suspended on the first day of school after defending himself in a hallway fight. According to the father, the teen who started the fight was also suspended.

Loved ones did not want to appear on camera, but they said they remember DJ
as a pleasant young man and, in the field of photography, he was focused. His smile was broad and he was quite proud of his skills in the boxing ring.

His funeral was held Friday, and he was buried Monday morning.

Seven days after DJ’s death, 17-year-old Zimir Wright Jr. was killed around 7 a.m., just before the school day was to begin.

NNPD said its officers responded after receiving a ShotSpotter activation in the 5700 block of Arlington Avenue, near Gloucester Drive. A family member told WAVY Zimir was in 11th grade, but a Newport News Schools spokesperson confirmed he was a 10th grade student at Heritage High School, which is within walking distance of where the shooting happened.

According to a police statement in court records, “a group of juveniles were hanging out in the area of Arlington Avenue after the school bus dropped them off. While in the area, another Black male juvenile, wearing a black hoody, with his hands in his pockets, pulled the firearm and shot toward Zimir Wright.”

Court records state that Zimir was shot in the chest and that officers located five cartridge casings at the scene.

His family issued a statement to WAVY Tuesday that “Zimir was a loving soul whose life was tragically taken too soon. He will always be remembered and loved by his friends and family.”

They also provided this link to a GoFundMe account created to help pay for his funeral. His obituary states as of Tuesday that service information will be available soon.

A group, Men on Marshall, was formed to provide safety escorts for children before and after school as both cases remain unsolved.

** Correction: Our report initially stated that Zimir Wright was waiting for his school bus. The bus had already dropped him off.