Slain Simon Gratz student Devin Weedon, 15, was a ‘rising star’ who ‘meant everything’ to his family and friends

Being a Simon Gratz Bulldog was in Devin Weedon’s DNA.

His mother graduated from the North Philadelphia high school years ago, she said, as did many of his older siblings, and he grew up wanting to join the family alma mater and play on its respected football team.

And so even though Weedon, 15, lived in West Philadelphia, each weekday morning, he caught the bus to City Hall. Then he rode the Broad Street Line up to Hunting Park Avenue, and walked the few remaining blocks before strolling through the charter school’s red double doors.

But on Tuesday, he never made it in.

Around 7:45 a.m., as he walked his normal path down Hunting Park Avenue, just two blocks from school, four young men approached him from behind in what police believe was an attempted robbery.

They jumped him, police said, and at first, Weedon tried to defend himself. But then one of his assailants pulled out a handgun and shot him once in the chest.

Nearby officers rushed him to Temple University Hospital, but the damage was too severe. He died shortly after.

No arrests have been made, though police on Wednesday said they plan to release images of those they believe were responsible for the crime.

Weedon’s death has devastated his family, teammates, and the entire Simon Gratz community, and left his loved ones wondering how the life of a smart, athletic, and funny teen could be ripped away so suddenly.

“Everybody loved him,” his mother, Wytina Burnside, said Wednesday. “Somebody make it make sense to me.”

“Why did you kill my son?” his father, Gary Weedon, asked exasperatedly. “He was an honor-roll student.”

Simon Gratz students were released from school early after the shooting, and school was canceled Wednesday to give the community time to grieve.

Devin Jahmer Weedon was born July 21, 2007, and raised in West Philadelphia. He was the youngest of 10 siblings — five sisters and five brothers. He was known in the family as “DJ” or “Doogy” and grew up to be a loving uncle to many nieces and nephews, his family said.

He attended Robert E. Lamberton Elementary School then Andrew Hamilton School before starting at Simon Gratz Mastery Charter.

He took to sports from a young age, and played basketball as a kid, his family said, before football became his main sport.

He played four years with the West Philadelphia Panthers, said league president Nate Reed, and was known for being a consistent, hardworking, and respectful player.

“He did whatever coaches needed,” Reed said.

His family said his life revolved around school and football — “He was either at the field or with his family,” said his older sister Shanae Burnside, 31. He played defense for the varsity team and sported No. 64. Even outside of practice, he spent long hours in the gym lifting weights, and often volunteered his time to help teammates and friends grow stronger, his sister said.

He was interested in opening up his own fitness center one day, she said.

Off the field, Weedon loved spending time with his family and cat “TJ.” He never let his siblings hang up the phone without saying “I love you,” Shanae Burnside said, and whenever she came over to the house, he wouldn’t let her through the door unless she gave him a hug first.

“There were no handshakes. It was ‘Bring it in, give me a hug,’” she said. “It was never too many hugs with him.”

He loved to “photobomb” family photos, she said, and was always dancing and making jokes.

And most of all, he loved his mom.

“My mom was his world,” said sister Jasmine Burnside.

When Wytina Burnside was recently hospitalized with an illness, her son visited every day, she said. He nursed her back to health, and showered her with love.

He loved her homemade mac and cheese and banana pudding, she said ― if only she could make it for him one more time.

“He meant everything to us,” she said.

Burnside questioned why someone would want to rob her son. He wasn’t flashy, she said, he was just walking with his backpack, wearing his “Gratz” sweatshirt. If she gave him $20, she said, he’d buy two hoagies and chips at the corner store.

“And he wouldn’t share,” his sister Jasmine joked.

“He’d share it with me,” his mother interjected.

Wytina Burnside also questioned why police did not intervene in the fight sooner, before the gun was pulled.

“Nobody helped until he was shot,” she said.

Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said no police officers were near the scene when the struggle began, but detectives were continuing to investigate.

Still, Burnside said the city must do more to stop the violence, and keep young people safe near their schools: “It’s ridiculous.”

And to the shooters, she said, “What goes around comes around.”