Jasper Davis, 14-year-old killed this month, remembered as ‘life of the party’ in Beats Not Bullets program

Jasper Davis, the 14-year-old shot and killed July 21 in a shooting at the Mondawmin Metro Station in East Baltimore, is being remembered as a promising musical artist who knew sign language and was easy to like.

The teen had a “standout personality” in the Beats Not Bullets program that uses music to teach and mentor Baltimore’s young people , said program director Kevin Beasley. Since joining in May, Jasper became known in his cohort as someone with a good sense of humor who loved to record.

“You could tell it was a safe space for him,” Beasley said. “He was kind of the life of the party, and he felt safe to be that, as far as the other youth.”

Lead instructor Eze Jackson added that Jasper showed up to every session, took instruction well and got along with other students.

“I’ve worked with a lot of [music] students over the years, in different programs. You can tell when it’s something they really want to do and they’re passionate about,” Jackson said. “When I’m working with them and I give them a direction, it’s not like to come down on them. When I see somebody not taking it personally, that means to me that they want to be better, want to sound their best. Jasper really wanted to learn and grow.”

Jasper had joined the 10 or so other participants at a session July 20 at downtown Baltimore’s Lineup Room Studios. On his way out, Beasley recalled saying goodbye and asking Jasper whether he’d be coming back next week.

“Yeah, of course I’m coming back!” he recalled Jasper saying.

The next night, he was killed.

Baltimore Police said Monday that detectives believe the shooting, which took place shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday, stemmed from a dispute. Another person, who is 19 years old, was wounded in the shooting and is expected to survive, authorities said.

The police department shared images of a homicide suspect wearing a black Under Armour sweatshirt . Anyone who recognizes the person is asked to contact detectives or Metro Crime Stoppers.

As of Tuesday, Baltimore has seen 10 homicides of young people under age 18, according to figures provided by the police department. At this point last year, the city had lost 12 young people to homicides and, in 2022, 14. Overall, the city is seeing a year-over-year decline in both homicides and shootings. In 2024’s first six months, Baltimore had the lowest level of gun violence in a decade compared with he first halves of prior years.

Another young person was killed two days before Jasper. Breaunna Cormley, a 12-year-old remembered as an attentive older sister who loved to play basketball and the saxophone , was shot and killed July 19 in McElderry Park. A man arrested July 21 is charged with first-degree murder and other offenses.

Family members of Jasper declined to speak for this article. GoFundMe websites for Jasper described him as a rising freshman at Patterson High School and a “ bright, loving, and kind-hearted young soul with a future full of promise and dreams.”

Beasley said Jasper’s grandmother would text Beats Not Bullets leaders about how much Jasper loved the program, and Jackson remembered that Jasper’s father, who is deaf, joined him at an early session.

While Jasper was in the booth, his father used the Notes app on his phone to write to Jackson.

“How’s he doing? Is he any good?” Jackson remembered his father asking.

“I wrote him back and said, ‘He’s great. We want to work with him and he’s going to improve, but he’s already so good.’ His writing, already, that first time in the studio, I thought his writing was so good,” Jackson said.

At that, Jasper’s father’s face lit up, proud of his son, Jackson said.

“I felt like he was happy that [Jasper] was involved in something positive, something he wanted to do,” Jackson said. “I really admired their relationship.”

Both Jackson and Beasley said they had hoped to encourage Jasper to use his sign language skills in the future, potentially as a job. The teen had been referred to Beats Not Bullets by the city through a diversion program for young people, Beasley said.

The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement confirmed that Jasper was part of the city SideStep diversion program , saying he had been referred to it last November by his grandmother and that he’d been connected to Beats Not Bullets as part of it.

“Jasper was enthusiastic and respectful, often arriving early for his appointments. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time, and we will never forget him,” MONSE’s youth opportunity coordinator, Robert Bizzell, said in an emailed statement.

On Saturday, his peers in Beats Not Bullets planned to come together again, this time without Jasper. Leaders said they plan to try to foster a space for the teens to open up about how they’re feeling, about how they are navigating Jasper’s killing.

For Jackson, Jasper’s killing reminded him of growing up in Baltimore and how much things haven’t changed. He first lost a peer or classmate around age 14, the same age as Jasper, Jackson said.

“I know when I was 14, I didn’t think I was a baby. But he really was just a baby,” Jackson said. “It’s so young. You have so much life left.”

Beasley, who called this the “raw reality of being a youth in Baltimore,” said Jasper’s death reinforces for him the need for Beats Not Bullets. Parents of participants have come up to Beasley before and said they knew their teens in the program would be safe for four hours.

“It reinforced the fact that, when I have their attention via music, to use that time to balance it even more, when it comes to that mentorship piece. We hide it behind the music, but maybe turning that frequency up even more,” Beasley said. “When [participants] come back on Saturday, I think they’re going to have a whole new feeling when it comes to how serious this is. For us to balance that with a great conversation when we see them — it’ll take us a long way.”