Demetrius Moore and a group of friends traveled to a beach in Pensacola on March 13. His family and friends are now in grief after the 17-year-old drowned while attempting to rescue others.
“He was an amazing person, an even better friend,” his girlfriend, Danecia Marshall, told WDAM.
The North Forrest community senior was only a few months away from graduation. The incident happened around 3 p.m. at Park West on Fort Pickens Road.
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Lifeguards pulled one victim from the water around virtual mile marker 21, according to Escambia County. After that, Life Flight took the patient to the hospital. There were no other injuries.
Less than a week after his death, Moore’s friends and teachers say he left an unforgettable impact.
Kris Arnold, a teacher at NorthForrest, said, “He was a big guy so he was head and shoulders above everybody in the hallway. Quiet, reserved, but yet he had a sneaky wit to him. He was my peacekeeper; he always asked the other students in my classroom, ‘Why so hostile?’”
“Absolutely devastated. That’s the only word that comes to mind: devastated. Devastated for Demetrius and his family, the loss of Demetrius. But, we’re also devastated for what it’s done to the rest of the school body, but he is a hero. He will be remembered that way,” Arnold added.
His friends shared memories of the teen.
“He always put everybody above him and that’s why there will never be enough ‘thank yous’ and ‘I love yous’ that we can give him,” said Anabelle Triggs, a friend.
“The only one that comes to mind is him screaming on the game with me and my other friends,” another friend, Logan Hall said, “Just him being quiet here and screaming there was a big difference.”
Despite the weight of grief, his friends have found comfort in each other.
“It brought us together, all of us being there when it happened; it brought our group together and made us stronger,” said Jaydan Varnado.
Demetrius will be laid to rest on Friday, March 21.
The family created a GoFundMe to help them deal with the financial effects of this tragedy, but it has already been disabled after generating over $13,000.
They noted that, “With the amount we’ve raised so far, we are confident that it will cover our goals and immediate needs. Thank you to each and every one of you for your generosity and kindness—it has meant the world to our family.”
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