Teen Shot, Killed in DC Days Before He Was to Attend College, Pursue Criminal Justice

An 18-year-old man who was shot in D.C. days before he was set to go to college has died.

Someone shot Richard Bangura multiple times the evening of Sunday, Aug. 9 in the 2400 block of Franklin Street NE, police said.

Bangura died a week later on the same day he planned to go to Temple University in Philadelphia.

His father said Bangura had turned his life around after he survived being shot his sophomore year of high school.

"He had his own demons, but he made a U-turn and became an advocate to other students," Abu Baker Bangura said of his son.

Richard Bangura wanted to get out of D.C. and away from the violence so he started doing better in school and participated in Law Camp at D.C. District Court. He also became a student ambassador and an anti-gun violence advocate, his father says.

This year, he graduated from Dunbar High School and the family was set to send him off to college on Sunday.

Instead, they had to say their final goodbyes at the hospital.

"Family holding hands, he's got two younger siblings and we prayed and we prayed for God to give us strength to continue. We told him goodbye," Abu Baker Bangura said.

The night he was shot Bangura was leaving to see a friend, his father said.

"He drove off. Less than two minutes, I heard the shots. Didn’t know it is was my son getting pounded with almost 10 bullets."

The violence Bangura had worked so hard to escape ended his life, robbing him of the chance to get a law degree and come back to better his community.

Abu Baker Bangura said it's now up to him to carry out his son's work to advocate against gun violence.

"I'm challenging the mayor and police chief to see if really they mean what they say that black lives matter. That you start locally making sure the kids in the city are safe and they're protected," he said.