18-year-old shot and killed in Raleigh overnight was Sanderson High School basketball star

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The 18-year-old who was shot and killed in Raleigh overnight was a former star basketball player at Sanderson High School and had committed to continue his career at Vance-Granville Community College.

The shooting happened just before midnight.

Desmond Myles Jenkins, 18, was found with a gunshot wound in the 9400 block of Prince George Lane.

He was taken to WakeMed where he was later pronounced dead.

Vance-Granville coach Gregory Ackles said Jenkins was a great kid.

"He was an incoming freshman who agreed to come play for us back in the winter. Even though I only knew him for a short time, I can tell he was very passionate about life and basketball," he said. "It's just ridiculous that another young person was taken away too soon from his family and friends."

He said he found out the news from an assistant.

"You could hear in his voice something was wrong," Ackles said. "So when I called him back, the first thing out of his mouth was, Des got shot."

He said Jenkins was supposed to move into his college apartment next weekend.

Ackles had a message for the shooter: "You took away a mother's son. You took away a sister's brother. You took away a kid who I was looking forward to coaching. You took away my players' teammate."

Sanderson coach Brian Shaffer tweeted Saturday that he "will always remember the pride (Jenkins) had and his love for Sanderson. He truly was a great human being."

At a vigil Saturday night, friends gathered to remember Jenkins.

"Devastated. Just a loss for words completely," his friend Jalen Aris told ABC11. "Been crying all day. Going to cry all night."

"He had the best energy," said friend Joseph Green. "If he came around you, he lit the whole group up. If everyone was sad, he'd light the whole group up."

Homicide detectives are seeking information regarding a black Chevrolet Avalanche with chrome rims -- which was seen in the area. The car may have a star decal in the right window.

Anyone with information that might assist the investigation of the incident is asked to call Raleigh CrimeStoppers at (919) 834-HELP or visit raleighcrimestoppers.org for text and email reporting options. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards for anonymous tips that help solve cases.