By admin SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) — For nearly five years, the family of Deante Wilkins has searched for answers in the unsolved killing of the 23-year-old South Los Angeles basketball player whose death was captured on surveillance video.
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Wilkins’ mother, Latrell Widmon, said she copes with the loss by convincing herself her son is still away.
“I just think he’s gone on vacation. That’s what I tell myself. So I don’t breakdown,” Widmon said.
The heartbreak remains acute for Wilkins’ family, including his sister, Zanee Corbett.
“He was a great person. He was amazing. He loved people. He was very humble. It’s just unfortunate,” Corbett said.
Wilkins, a standout high school and college basketball player, dreamed of using his success on the court to help his family leave South Los Angeles.
“He just wanted the best for his family. He just knew we were better than this,” Corbett said.
That dream ended on the night of Dec. 14, 2021, when Wilkins was killed in a shooting.
According to LAPD Detective Roger Fontes, Wilkins’ body was found inside a gray SUV near East 116th Street and Town Avenue. The vehicle was riddled with bullet holes, but investigators determined the shooting had not occurred there.
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“We realized that there were no casings left at that scene,” Fontes said.
A few blocks away, at 118th Street and Main Street, investigators found dozens of shell casings and obtained surveillance video connected to the shooting, Fontes said.
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The video shows at least three gunmen opening fire after Wilkins parked a vehicle behind a gate, according to investigators.
When asked how many shell casings were recovered, Fontes said, “Over 30.” Investigators have not determined that Wilkins was specifically targeted.
“I believe it was just maybe a victim of a circumstance, that he was at the wrong location at the wrong time,” Fontes said.
For Wilkins’ family, the lack of arrests has intensified the pain of losing a loved one they describe as kind and devoted to those around him.
“He didn’t deserve that. I hate that my brother had to grow up here in Los Angeles and be subjected to this lifestyle,” Corbett said.
Widmon said the unresolved case continues to take an emotional toll.
“Destroyed me. It just destroyed me terribly. I don’t feel no more,” she said.
Although the shooting was captured on surveillance video, authorities said cameras did not record a license plate for the vehicle used by the gunmen. LAPD is asking anyone with information about the killing to call (877) LAPD-24-7, or (877) 527-3247.
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