The 4th of July is usually filled with good food, great people, fun and fireworks. But tragically this past 4th of July holiday a Dennis Tillet’s life was taken by a senseless act of possible gang violence in Los Angeles, California.
Tillet, who graduated from Morehouse College in 2009, was standing outside with friends at a 4th of July house party waiting to watch fireworks when an unidentified man began shooting into a crowd. As everyone began running into the house, Tillet was one of the last ones to run in.
LAPD Detective Michael Applegate says investigators aren’t yet certain whether the shooting was a result of a gang feud. But as far as he knows, Tillet’s group of friends was “just out there lighting fireworks and trying to enjoy the Fourth of July.”
According to Tillet’s mother, Audrey Fletcher, Morehouse was his dream school ever since he was a little boy. He had moved back to LA after graduating and had begun his career in business, while always staying close to his home church of Ward AME as well as volunteering at the Ward Villa Senior Complex. “You exhale when they graduate, like, we’ve done our job,” she says, “Then, this. It’s heartbreaking.”
The school’s Greater Los Angeles Alumni Association released this statement regarding Tillet’s untimely death:
“By all accounts, Dennis was an endearing young man. Never confrontational, always helpful, and a source of positive energy on campus and in the classroom is the motif when hearing about Dennis from his peers. There has been a heartfelt outcry of sadness / mourning for Dennis and his family from across the country. We in the Greater Los Angeles Morehouse Alumni Association, share the shock that such a kind spirit would be taken from us in a violent and unnecessary manner. We extend our sincerest condolences to Dennis’ family and friends and expect that this incident will be investigated with the full resources local law enforcement has at their disposal.”
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