Heartbreaking Loss: 15-Year-Old Dubar Knowles Remembered After Tragic Party Shooting!
A small community is mourning the loss of 15-year-old Dubar Tyreek Knowles, who was shot and killed over the weekend. The news has shocked many, especially considering that Knowles’ sister was also a victim of gun violence back in 2016.
Dubar, who sometimes went by his middle name Tyreek, was known to be a genuine and kind-hearted kid. His former basketball and football coaches remember him fondly.
Karl Lafountain, one of his former football coaches, described Tyreek as a boy with a bright smile, shy at first but full of warmth once you got to know him.
“Tyreek was a genuine kid,” Lafountain said. “He had a beautiful smile. He was shy, but once you got to know him, he would smile a lot.”
Michael Davis, who had coached Knowles in basketball since he was just six years old, also spoke highly of him.
Davis recalled how Tyreek was a little shy but also fun to be around once he opened up. “He was a jokester, but he was a good kid,” Davis said. “He always had that balance between being shy and outgoing.”
The tragic incident took place on Saturday night at a party on Congress Street. Knowles, along with a 13-year-old girl, was shot.
While the young girl is recovering from her injuries, the community is left questioning how such a tragedy could have happened.
Schenectady Police are still investigating the shooting, trying to piece together the events that led up to it.
Lt. Ryan Macherone of the Schenectady Police Department said they are still trying to understand the motive behind the shooting.
“One of the first things we’re trying to do is establish a motive for this, why did this occur,” Macherone said. “Something tragic happened, and this went from being a party to a tragic incident in a short amount of time.
We’re still trying to determine if either of the individuals who were shot were the intended targets. That’s a major concern for us.”
Knowles’ coaches also discussed his difficult upbringing, acknowledging that life hadn’t always been easy for him.
Despite the challenges, they saw potential in the young man, particularly when it came to sports. For many kids like Knowles, sports provided structure, discipline, and an outlet to express themselves.
“It hit home because I knew where he was working to get towards,” Davis said. “He was always in the gym, trying to improve. Some of these kids need sports as an outlet; they need someone to show they care.”
The death of Tyreek Knowles is a devastating reminder of how gun violence can affect young lives.
The last time a teenager was killed by gun violence in Schenectady was in 2016, and that victim was none other than Tyreek’s older sister, Medina Knowles.
Lt. Macherone expressed deep sympathy for the Knowles family, saying, “I can’t imagine anything worse for a family. To lose two children in this way is extremely tragic.”
As the investigation continues, Schenectady Police are urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward. The department has set up a tip line at 518-788-6566, where calls can be made anonymously.
In the meantime, the community is left grieving the loss of a young life taken too soon.
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Tyreek’s coaches, friends, and family will remember him not just for his smile but for the promise he carried within him, a promise that now will never be fulfilled.