‘Two lives full of promise’: Chesterfield community remembers teens killed in apartment shooting

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Grief and remembrance filled the air Monday night as friends, family and neighbors gathered at Creekpointe Apartments to honor the lives of two 17-year-old boys who were shot and killed.

Xavion Drake and Elijah Brown were best friends who, according to loved ones, did nearly everything together and had plans to join the U.S. Army. Their families said the two were inseparable until the very end.

“This was my baby, and he didn’t deserve this. Neither did Eli,” said Xavion’s mother, as she fought back tears.

The teens were found dead at the apartment complex in the 14600 block of Creekglen Way on Friday, July 20. The next day, Chesterfield Police arrested 18-year-old Richard E. Lamb, who now faces two counts of second-degree murder. Investigators said Lamb and the teens knew each other, but the motive of the shooting is still unclear.

At the vigil, loved ones held orange and white balloons as they shared stories and memories of the teens. One friend recalled Xavion’s final moments.

“His last words that he said were, ‘Call my mom,’” they shared. This was something Xavion’s mother had heard for the first time that night.

“To hear what my son said before he took his last breath… that will stay with me forever,” she said.

The tragedy has rattled the community and renewed calls for an end to gun violence.

“I pray to God that y’all put those guns down,” Xavion’s mother pleaded. “This is not the way.”

In the aftermath of the shooting, Xavion’s family launched a GoFundMe to help cover expenses.