Mural dedicated to teen killed by stray bullet

By Scott Carpenter

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    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A mural on the basketball court in Oakridge Neighborhood is being dedicated to Yore Jieng.

Jieng was 14-years-old when he was killed by a stray bullet at the intersection of 12th and Keosauqua Way in Downtown Des Moines.

The mural, painted by artist Jordan Weber, shows Jieng in a Lakers jersey with a crown on his head, resembling his favorite player — Lebron James.

His older brother says the basketball court in Oakridge was like his second home.

“His peers loved him,” Sabet Jieng said. “He spent a lot of time here, most of his time here. He liked to play basketball.”

Sabet is in the Navy, stationed in Virginia. It just so happens he’s back in town this week to see the court his brother love dedicated to him.

“For them to go out of there way and paint my little brother’s face on this lovely court of ours that we spent a lot of time on… that’s definitely a cool thing,” Sabet Jieng said.

Des Moines police said Yore Jieng was an innocent bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was killed in 2016.

The crime still hasn’t been solved.

Terre Caldwell-Johnson, with Oakridge Neighborhood, said Jieng’s passing brought tragedy, but Wednesday’s dedication ceremony provides a moment to reflect.

“I think it’s an opportunity for us to understand just how important it is for us to think about the way we mitigate violence in our own communities,” Caldwell-Johnson said.

Now, just a couple hundred yards away from where he lost his life, Jieng is immortalized with his subtle smile and crown fit for a king.

“Having that crown really represents not only who he was, but the joy he brought everyone,” Caldwell-Johnson said.

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