HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- Matthew Devine's mother said she was "completely shattered" after her 16-year-old son was shot and killed at a house party in Hanover County, Virginia.
"[He] was taken from us behind another child that felt the need to play God and end his life," Ashley Devine wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to help her family. "I can't begin to thank you all for the amount of help and support I've been offered over the most unexplainably hard time in my life."
While Devine is appreciative of the support, the Hanover Sheriff's Office would like some help finding the person who killed the Colonial Heights teenager.
"Beyond the information we received immediately that night, some of the other information — some pieces to the puzzle — have been slow to trickle in," Hanover Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Steve Wills told CBS 6 about the April 6 shooting on McClellan Road and Agape Lane.
Wills said investigators hoped parents would speak to their children to help determine who was at the party where Devine's lost his life.
"We want to put everybody’s fears to rest. We’re not here to try to investigate these kids for any other minor activities that were going on. We’re here to investigate and solve a homicide," he said.
Wills said the party was made up of teenagers from across the region.
"Once [the party] hit social media and went out, anybody that saw it and was within driving range and wanted to show up could," Wills said. "We’re talking the entire Richmond metro region here. If your children weren’t with you and you can’t account for them from that evening, talk to them, find out, have an open conversation with them."
He said investigators had viewed videos taken at the party and knew there was more out there they have not yet seen.
"We know these kids live in a digital world. The challenge is us connecting with them in that digital world," he said. "We’re interested in what happened before, what happened after, what happened inside the house. Those pieces of information give us a look at what was going on in that atmosphere, that time that led up to the events that happened."
Devine attended high school in Colonial Heights.
"It is with great sadness that I share with you that Matthew Devine, one of our high school students, tragically lost his life over the weekend," Colonial Heights Principal Mike Nelson said in a statement. "As you share and discuss this information with your student, please know that the high school will have counseling support and resources available tomorrow and in the coming days as needed to assist students. It is sometimes difficult for students, as well as adults, to process such a terrible loss."
Devine will be laid to rest in Colonial Heights on April 15.
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This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
