The University of Louisville has dedicated a Cardinal basketball jersey in honor of Dequante Hobbs Jr., the seven-year-old killed last month by a stray bullet that entered his home.
Former U of L basketball standout Luke Whitehead organized the gift with help from the university's athletics department. Whitehead presented the jersey Tuesday to Dequante's parents. On it, is Dequante’s nickname “Lil DQ” and his favorite number, 7.
Whitehead asked the crowd Tuesday to be positive and bring more light.
“This senseless violence needs to stop,” Whitehead said. “I definitely urge you to do whatever you can do to help bring peace and positivity to this great city, because it’s definitely needed … you could share positivity on your social media channels, you could break up a fight between kids in a neighborhood, you could speak positivity to the youth.”
Dequante’s mom, Micheshia Norment, thanked Whitehead for the jersey. She said she imagined if Dequante, a Louisville fan, were alive, he'd never take it off.
She made a plea for the city to come together in order to stop the violence.
“It is a beautiful city. It’s just the people that live here, we’re going to have to come together for unity to make change,” Norment said. “It’s going to take everybody.”
Dequante’s family is still awaiting answers about his death. Police have no suspects, and posters of Dequante around the city were reportedly being removed weeks ago.
But Norment vows to keep having more events — like last week’s remembrance ceremony — to publicize her son's story. She and Dequante’s dad leave for New Orleans this week for a celebrity event in Dequante's honor.
