Friends say Rashad Carr’s outfits were always on point. Like the "red, fur rock star jacket" he once showed up wearing to a family event, Carr's longtime friend JahZire Brown said.
Those close to him also say Carr was a protective brother, a "good-hearted kid," a solid running back and defensive back in football, and a talented rapper. And his best friend, Gionni Dameron, was his “hype man.”
Carr, 16, and Dameron, 18, were killed in a shooting Monday at Starts Right Here, a downtown nonprofit that serves at-risk youth.
More:Gionni Dameron, killed in Des Moines shooting, remembered as 'a ray of sunshine'
Des Moines police spokesperson Sgt. Paul Parizek said the two were in a common space at the nonprofit whenPrestonWalls, 18, allegedly shot each of them multiple times. Their mentor and Starts Right Here founder William Holmes, also known as Will Keeps, was shot and remained hospitalized in serious condition as of Tuesday night.
At the time of his death, Carr was enrolled inOptions Academy, a program through Des Moines Public Schools that offers students alternative pathways to obtaining their diplomas. As part of the program, he and Dameron both attended classes and received other assistance at Starts Right Here.
At a news conference Wednesday, Carr's grandmother Nicole Sanders said the teens did not deserve to die, especially in a place where they were learning and seeking to better themselves.
"My grandson was a loving grandson," Sanders said. "He is a good nephew, son, brother, cousin and good friend. That's what he is. Both of these boys did not deserve to be (killed) at a place where they ... thought in their hearts they were safe."
Friends say Carr was a fierce protector, backbone of friend group despite hardships
Garrette Boone, who coached Carr on the Des Moines Venom football team, said it was Carr's ambition to finish high school so that he could pursue his music career.
Carr, who went by the stage names Byg Honcho and 223 Honcho, performed his songs at local venues in Iowa. His longtime friend Ayari Quinn said his songs were mostly about money, the streets, his life and the loved ones he lost to gun violence.
Quinn said she and Carr had been like siblings since they met in the second grade at King Elementary School.
“We would fight, like we would go throw snow at each other, chase each other downstairs, hit each other with pillows. It was a brother-sister relationship," she said.
He was a fierce over-protector, even though he was younger than Quinn, she said. He and Dameron, who often were together, were the life of the party.
“You couldn’t sit in a room with them two and not crack a smile, not crack a joke. You could feel their love when they hugged you or when they shook your hand,” Brown said. She said the two were often a "backbone" for friends in need.
But Carr also dealt with many losses in his life. He lost his father in 2008 and his close friend Josiah Woods in 2020, both to gun violence, according to Boone and family.
“Rashad has lived a very rough life," Boone said. "He’s lost so many relatives, even within the past three to four months. It’s unimaginable.”
Despite the hardships, Boone said Carr always made sure his mother, brothers and sisters were taken care of.
“They knew the purpose of family and they embellished that, and they loved that. They spread it amongst their friends,” Boone said of Carr and Dameron. “And that’s what I loved about those boys because no matter what the outside said, or what happened on Facebook, or whatever … they were always ... making sure their family was taken care of.”
More:The Starts Right Here triple shooting shocked Des Moines. Here's how it went down:
Friends dispute portrayal of involvement in gang activity
Shortly after the shooting,police arrested Wallsand charged him with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of criminal gang participation. Police did not release a motive for the shooting but indicated it was gang-related.
Friends and family say the statement by police that Carr and Dameron were involved in a gang is inaccurate.
"That's just the first thing that they assume in every Black case, regardless of like if you're an adult or a child," Brown said. "Most of the time if a Black person has a tattoo or three initials across their chest, 'Oh, they were in a gang.' But most of the time, it's just like petty BS that could've been dead and gone."
Brown and Boone said the teens' friend group was more like a family that took care of each other.
"There's so much love that they have amongst each other that it's crazy. When they fall down, they are the ones that are picking them up, getting them back on their feet, dusting them off and keeping them moving," Boone said.
Sanders said she was "tired" of the misrepresentation.
"What I'm not going to stand is to (portray) them as gangb*ngers," Sanders said. "They were not. Yes, they were imperfect. They were learning. They were growing to become men, who make mistakes. We all have."
Sanders and Carr's uncle Rico Evans started a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral arrangements and a homegoing celebration. The family said Carr's mother will donate a portion of the funds received to a cause that assists with teen mental counseling.
More:Victims of Starts Right Here shooting ID'd; founder's family says he'll carry on anti-violence work
Social justice reporter Amanda Tugade contributed to this story.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at@francescablock3.
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.
