The mobile home park to the north of Warsaw had always been the type of location where children congregated after school, teens lounged on porches, and the night went by without any problems. On March 23, 2026, Monday, that was altered.
At Suburban Acres, gunshots broke out at 8 p.m. When the police came, they saw a number of teenagers dispersed, including Damian DeHoyos, 15, who was critically injured. At the scene, he was declared deceased.
Damian was a sophomore at Warsaw Community High School, a young man described by those who knew him as determined, kindhearted, and serious in a way that set him apart from other kids his age. He had a soft soul, friends said, someone who pushed himself to grow, who cherished his family, his cats, and his shoes. He was two months shy of his 16th birthday, born on May 27, 2010, and the future that had stretched out before him was suddenly gone.
Authorities confirmed that another 15-year-old was involved in the shooting and was taken into custody shortly after the incident. That teen now faces a preliminary charge of reckless homicide. Investigators have not released the individual’s identity due to age, nor have they disclosed what led to the shooting. Whether it was accidental or intentional remains unclear. What is known is that a group of teenagers had been hanging out at the residence shortly before the gunfire erupted, and one of them did not walk away.
The Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office confirmed Damian’s identity, and his obituary, later posted by Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, described him as a bright light whose unexpected passing left a lasting void. For his classmates at Warsaw Community High School, the news was almost too much to absorb. They had seen him in the hallways, sat next to him in class, maybe passed him a note or shared a laugh at lunch. Now he was gone, and the questions piled higher than the grief.
Police remained at Suburban Acres for hours, cordoning off the area, interviewing witnesses, collecting forensic evidence. The mobile home park, typically quiet and residential, became the center of a homicide investigation that has left neighbors shaken. Residents spoke of hearing the gunfire, then sirens, then the slow, heavy realization that something terrible had happened just doors away.
As the investigation continues, vigils and memorials have begun forming. Classmates have gathered to share memories, to light candles, to stand together in a grief that feels too large for their young shoulders. Damian is remembered for his warmth, his determination, the way he pushed himself to be better, the soft soul that made him who he was. The tragedy has also renewed conversations about youth safety, conflict resolution, and the importance of having support systems in place for teenagers navigating difficult moments. But for those who loved Damian, those conversations come too late. He is gone, and the only thing left to do is carry his memory forward.