Article published August 30, 2008
Toledo homicides rise to 13: man shot near Southwyck too trusting, mom says
Linda Lawrence, right, said her son, Dujuan White, trusted the wrong people. She is with the victim's father, Anthony White, left, Christian Borders, and Brittaney Steinmiller.
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THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON
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By BRIDGET THARP
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Dujuan White was remembered yesterday by family and friends as a God-centered person who charmed everyone he met and dreamed of building a family with his girlfriend.
Mr. White, 27, of 2208 Rockspring Rd., died Thursday night in Toledo Hospital, two days after he was shot in the head during an apparent drug deal, authorities said.
"What really killed him is his kindness," his mother, Linda Lawrence, said. "He was trusting, and kindness killed him."
Mr. White's downfall, his mother said, was that he trusted the wrong people.
Mr. White is the city's 13th homicide victim this year. There were 13 homicides last year.
He had been in critical condition since the shooting Tuesday night in an apartment at 2328 Rockspring, near the shuttered Southwyck Shopping Center.The Lucas County Coroner's office will conduct an autopsy, Dr. Diane Barnett, a deputy coroner, said.
Toledo police said the accused gunman, Justin Ringstaff, 18, of 2651 Eastgate Rd., Apt. 12; Mr. White, and another person were in the apartment about 7:45 p.m. when the shooting occurred. Police said they recovered OxyContin pills at the scene, but they would not disclose whether they have found the weapon.
Mr. Ringstaff, who was arrested Wednesday and charged with felonious assault, was being held in the Lucas County jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.
Sgt. Phil Toney said authorities plan to present the case against Mr. Ringstaff to a county grand jury early next week for a possible upgrade of the charge.
Mr. White was raised in South Toledo by his single mother and his grandmother, though he remained close to his father, Ms. Lawrence said.
He was just a few credits shy of graduating from Bowsher High School when he dropped out in 2000.
After finishing his GED in 2001 and a brief stint in the U.S. Navy, he spent four years working with the elderly as a home health aide.
He most recently worked at Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwiches in Maumee, but hoped to begin attending classes on real estate.
He also intended to settle down with his girlfriend, Brittaney Steinmiller.
"I can't believe this. I'm waiting for him to just come around the corner," Miss Steinmiller, 20, said. She was clutching one of the two black cats they shared as she started to cry.
"He promised me that we were going to be together. We were going to get married. He promised me a family. He promised me a family."
The Christian values Mr. White learned as a Jehovah's Witness were his core, and he often ministered to friends by sharing the Bible's message, his best friend, Khalif Khan, 26, said.
Mr. Khan said he had considered Mr. White like a brother since they met as classmates at Glendale-Feilbach Elementary School. Their bond was cemented at age 7 when the pair was caught tampering with a car in their neighborhood. Several other children were involved, but only Mr. Khan and Mr. White were blamed.
Mr. White "took off running and changed his mind and actually came back and stood by my side and took the blame with me," Mr. Khan said.
Mr. White trusted easily and loved his friends.
Dozens of them flooded the hospital after he was shot, his aunt, Pamela Lawrence, said.
"They came in droves," his aunt said. "It was at least over 100 people there every day."
Despite the nature of his murder, Mr. White doesn't deserve to be remembered as a criminal, Mr. Khan said.
"He had his little run-ins with the law. That was always bad luck. He would just always be in the wrong place at the wrong time," Mr. Khan said.
Services are pending at the Tate Funeral Home.
Staff writer Laren Weber contributed to this report.
Contact Bridget Tharp at:
btharp@theblade.com
or 419-724-6061.
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