Why More People Need to Be Talking About The Black Kid in the Makenzie Shirilla Case

If you’ve spent any time on Netflix recently, you may have come across the new documentary, “The Crash,” which looks at the horrific and deadly 2022 crash involving three Ohio high school teens: Mackenzie Shirilla, Dominic Russo, and Davion Flanagan. Though Shirilla was the only one who miraculously survived, she was later convicted in 2023 of 12 charges, including four counts of murder and felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, and more, according to NBC News.

And while the documentary does a decent job of dissecting the crime, one of the things that sticks out most is the fact that very little attention is given to Flanagan. In fact, recent pictures taken of his gravestone show fewer flowers and gifts than Russo’s.

This feels especially sad to see if you watch the film, because you’ll come to find out that Flanagan was merely a mutual friend of Russo and Shirilla, a couple in a very toxic relationship that often involved verbal spats, various threats, and more. On the night he died, Flanagan hitched a ride back home with the couple after they all spent the night at another friend’s house. Sadly, he would never make it back home as Shirilla accelerated the car up to 100mph before crashing it into a brick wall, killing him and Russo.

Just like Russo’s death, Flanagan’s was 100% avoidable. He was simply an extra person in the back seat of a car that was headed towards destruction. But the crash is only one part of Donovan Flanagan’s story. So who exactly was this young man, and how has his death impacted his family?

A Loving Family

Growing up, Flanagan was adopted by Jaime and Scott, along with his younger sister Davyne and Dalia, when he was eight. They had a seemingly good life with the young son taking a liking to sports and befriending many at his high school. According to an interview with his father in 2023, it was easy for Davion to move throughout school.

“There wasn’t a clique that he belonged to. He just gave everyone as much love as he could, and really just let them be heard and let them feel like they were noticed,” Scott told PEOPLE at the time.

A Talented Football Star & Community Helper

Before his death, Flanagan maintained a positive reputation in the small town of Strongsville, Ohio, as a supremely talented football player at the local high school. According to the documentary, after suffering a leg injury, Flanagan’s hopes for making it big were unfortunately dashed. He then decided to focus on becoming a barber. He had dreams of attending Allstate Hairstyling & Barber College in Cleveland and opening his own barber shop in the future.

According to his mother, Flanagan also enjoyed and competed in other sports like track, baseball, basketball and swimming. He even volunteered as a young coach for swimmers at Strongville High School.

How Davion’s Family Honored Him After His Death

In the months and years after Flanagan was pronounced dead on the scene of the fatal car crash in July 2022, his family has decided to do what they can to keep his memory alive. They created a GoFundMe page for the “Davion Flanagan Memorial Fund,” which will be used to “help future low-income barbers attend and achieve their dream,” according to the official site.

“Davion had such a generous and kind soul. He loved helping others and went out of his way to show others that they were valued and worthy,” Jaime wrote online. “Davion would have loved the idea of giving back to the community in his name and through this scholarship fund. This scholarship fund will help Davion live on forever in our hearts & memories while also helping others achieve their goals and dreams.”