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On Friday, July 15, Deanna Cornish was preparing for the gender reveal when she received a phone call alerting her that her son, 16-year-old Syncere Smith, was shot at a fire department carnival in St. Mary's County, according to her brother, who set up a GoFundMe page for the family.
Cornish rushed more than two hours home, but received the devastating news that her son didn't make it after being airlifted to MedStar St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown for treatment of the gunshot wound.
Smith - who was known by friends and family as “Cere" - was set to graduate from Great Mills High School in 2023, where he excelled at basketball, regularly saying “Ball Was Life,” according to his uncle.
A member of the AAU Pax World Ballers basketball team, Smith was planning to pursue his basketball career or join the Air Force upon his graduation.
“At such a young age of 16, his life was cut short to senseless gun violence," Gemini Cornish said. “We’re asking that you donate to cover any expenses for Sincere K. Smith's funeral arrangements to make things easier on his mother and (five) siblings that he leaves behind.”
The GoFundMe campaign raised more than $5,500 of its stated $25,000 goal, with nearly 150 different donations rolling in from friends, family, and well-wishers.
Anyone interested in donating to the GoFundMe campaign can do so here.
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