Zaevion Dobson
Zaevion William Dobson (June 28, 2000 – December 17, 2015) was a high school football player from Knoxville, Tennessee. He played for Fulton High School’s Falcons, wearing number 24.
On December 17, 2015, at age 15, Zaevion saved three girls by shielding them from a drive-by shooting and was killed. The car involved in the shooting crashed later; one of the suspects died, and the other two were caught. Police said his death came after two earlier shootings that evening.
Zaevion was born to Zenobia Dobson and Lionell Kimber. He had two brothers, Zack Dobson and Markastin Taylor.
For his bravery, Zaevion received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award after his death in July 2016, which his mother accepted on his behalf. To honor him, Tennessee volunteers and Knoxville native Todd Kelly Jr. wore Dobson’s number 24 during the 2016 season, and in October 2017 Fulton High School retired the number.
In February 2018, Christopher Drone Bassett was sentenced to life in prison, while Richard Gregory Williams III and Kipling Colbert Jr. received lengthy sentences. The Change Center opened in December 2018 partly inspired by Dobson’s actions.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:16 (CET).