Damien Davis never arrived empty-handed at his mother’s home in Fairfield.
Instead, he came bearing gifts: a colorful wooden placard with a Bible verse, a succulent plant, a batch of his homemade fettuccine alfredo. Last Tuesday, he brought two cans of AriZona Green Tea, one for his mother, Theresa Porter, and another for Levi, his 6-year-old son.
Davis, 34, knew Porter used to love the green-and-pink-labeled drinks, but now she glanced at the ingredients — high-fructose corn syrup and loads of sugar — and set the can back down.
“Wait a minute,” she told him, laughing. “Neither one of us will be drinking this.”
The exchange between Porter and her son was among their last. Roughly 24 hours later, at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Davis died in a shooting on Sonoma Boulevard and Louisiana Street in Vallejo. His death marked the city’s 14th homicide of the year and left behind a family and community in mourning.
“Now I’m staring at these two cans,” Porter said in a Tuesday interview with Open Vallejo, “and it’ll just be a reminder of that last time seeing him.”
Davis is among five people killed in July shootings in Vallejo. The recent spate of gun violence began with a shooting around noon on July 5 near Tennessee and Humboldt streets; a man died from his wounds at a local hospital, according to Vallejo police.
Another man died on July 11 from injuries sustained in a June 23 shooting at Monterey Street and Springs Road, according to police. Three more people were also injured in the shooting but survived.
In another incident, a 16-year-old boy was killed on July 17 in a shooting on the 100 block of Carolina Street. Two days later, a woman identified by her attorney as Sharmell Mitchell, the sister of Willie McCoy, died from injuries sustained in a car crash that happened as she tried to escape gunfire near Tennessee Street and Vervais Avenue.
Vallejo police have yet to announce an arrest in any of the July homicide cases.
When reached by phone Tuesday, an employee with the Solano County Coroner’s Office declined to identify any of the homicide victims, asserting their names were “protected information.”
Vallejo police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis also declined to release any victim names. He said the homicides “appear to be isolated incidents.”
“We are committed to the safety of our community and despite the current staffing limitations, we are still intensifying our focus on violence prevention and enforcement efforts to keep our streets safe,” Hollis said.
Vallejo has seen a rise in homicides in recent years, with 12 through July of last year, 11 in 2022, and 7 in 2021, according to reports from the police department. However, this year still remains below 2020, when the homicide toll hit 16 by the end of July and reached 28 at the year’s end, not including the police killing of Sean Monterrosa, records show.
Vallejo’s spike that year corresponds with the nation’s pandemic-era rise in violent crime, driven largely by surging gun violence, which followed years of falling crime rates. Nationwide, law enforcement agencies have since reported a drop in murders and other violent crimes as of early 2024, according to FBI data.
On Friday evening, Porter attended a vigil outside the Vallejo Police Department alongside other community members who gathered to honor recent victims of violence. In addition to the fatal shootings, two people died and at least six people were injured last month in collisions that happened as Vallejo police officers chased fleeing drivers at high speeds.
For Porter, the vigil was an “opportunity to allow what happened to solidify and be real,” she said.
Born in Vallejo and raised in Fairfield, Davis grew up playing basketball and baseball, Porter said. He loved cooking and always brought his laid-back personality and big appetite to large family gatherings.
Davis held jobs at Round Table, Amazon, and Foster Lumber, among other companies, according to his mother. He turned a passion for sneakers and sports into an entrepreneurial hobby by selling refurbished shoes and thrifted jerseys on social media.
Davis passed his love for shoes to his family as well. As a holiday tradition, Porter started buying matching Christmas-edition Air Jordan shoes each year for herself and her grandson.
“We have like five pairs now,” she said. “That’s something that we will continue to do.”
As he grew older, Davis at times struggled with his mental health, Porter said. He also dealt with a debilitating muscular condition that made it difficult to do the things he loved, including lifting his son, having dance parties at home, and playing basketball. After years of doctor’s appointments, Porter witnessed her son make a swift recovery within the past year — an answer to her prayers, she said.
“He was healed,” Porter told Open Vallejo. “To be able to see him walk upright and all of that was really just a beautiful thing.”
Davis shared his mother’s strong belief in God and ability to champion others through prayer, she said. On one of his visits, Davis gave his mother a sign that now decorates her patio with one of their favorite Scripture verses, Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
Her son was her biggest cheerleader, Porter said, encouraging her as she returned to school for a bachelor’s degree in social work. In recent days, Porter said, Davis popped up in a dream and asked whether she would continue pursuing her education.
“That was really beautiful for me,” she said — a reminder from her son that “no matter what’s happened, this or anything else, just stay on the path.”
While mourning the loss of her son, Porter said she has thought little about the perpetrator of the shooting. She hopes that other community members will not let negative emotions “turn into actions.”
“It just doesn’t solve anything,” she said. “I have to trust that, prayerfully, the Vallejo Police Department is doing their due diligence to find out who’s responsible and hopefully they’re found and brought to justice.”
Over the weekend, Porter told her grandson Levi that his father was now his angel in heaven. On Tuesday, the boy asked to skip his karate lesson and instead visit Shenandoah Park in American Canyon where his father used to play basketball.
The visit brought back memories, Porter said, as she met Davis’ friends on the court and shared the news of her son’s death. They told stories about Davis, recalling that he used to encourage younger players to join in their games. Before Porter left, a man approached her with a pair of Adidas shoes, which he bought from Davis. “I want you to have these,” he told Porter, who plans to give the sneakers to Levi when he’s big enough to wear them.
The park visit with her grandson, Porter said, was “just the first of many activities that we will do together to continue to keep his dad’s legacy and life alive.”
Reporter Anna Bauman is gathering stories of those impacted by violence in the city. You can reach her at [email protected].
