Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Twin Cities
Elizabeth Shockman

Minneapolis high school student, 15, dies after shooting

Deshaun Hill Jr. Commemoration
An attendee holds a portrait honoring North High School student Deshaun Hill during a basketball game on Saturday. Hill, a quarterback on the Polars football team, died Thursday after being shot in Minneapolis. Hundreds of community members gathered for the event to condemn neighborhood violence and grieve the loss of Hill, 15, a beloved family member, friend, and student.
Tim Evans for MPR News

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Deshaun Hill, who played on the football team at North High School, and whom staff remembered as an “incredible young man,” died after being shot in Minneapolis. He was 15.

a boy playing football
Deshaun Hill
Courtesy of Trent Witz

“We cannot begin to express the sadness we feel as a result of this devastating loss,” Minneapolis Public School Superintendent Ed Graff said in a statement Thursday evening. “This bright young man had everything to live for and a promising future ahead of him.”

The shooting Wednesday at an off-campus location in north Minneapolis happened on the same day as a separate shooting in a different location that wounded a school bus driver. Minneapolis police have not released details of Hill’s shooting.

“The gun violence in our community has to stop. Our youth deserve to feel and be safe,” Graff said.

a boy in a letter jacket
Deshaun Hill
Courtesy of Trent Witz

Larry McKenzie, a coach at North High School who knew Hill, asked for prayers.

“The pain of watching my kids in tears over the loss of a teammate and friend is so difficult. A man of many words all of a sudden is speechless and doesn’t know what to say. Prayer warriors please lift our Minneapolis North High in prayer. We are hurting bad right now,” McKenzie, a basketball coach, said in a Twitter post.

Hill, a sophomore, was a quarterback on the Polars football team.

Derek Francis is one of a team of counselors who spent time at North on Thursday with students and staff where he said the community was deeply affected.

“There’s so much love and compassion and community at North High in north Minneapolis. All of us want the best for our kids and our families. North High families want that too,” Francis said.

Hill spent time at Lucy Laney Elementary. The school posted a photo online of him from when he was a student there, saying Hill “grew up to be such an incredible young man. What a tragedy to lose him.”