Beloved athlete De’Runnya “Bear” Wilson was part of a large, close-knit family that stayed in touch every day.
Not a day would go by that he, his mother, Tamika Wilson, and his five siblings didn’t talk or text. On Tuesday, the former state Mr. Basketball and Mississippi State wide-receiver seemingly went silent. His phone went straight to voicemail, causing alarm to those who knew and loved him best.
“We talked to him the day before and his was happy,’’ said his sister, Jerika Wilson. “It’s unusual for his phone to go to voicemail. And if my mama is calling, he’s going to answer. It was so strange.”
Tamika went to De’Runnya’s southwest Birmingham home on Northland Avenue mid-afternoon Tuesday. It was then that De’Runnya, a son, brother and father of five, was found shot to death. “God led her to her boy,’’ Jerika said.
De'Runnya Wilson, a son, brother and father of five, was found slain in his southwest Birmingham home on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020.
According to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, Wilson was found unresponsive at 2:25 p.m. and pronounced dead on the scene at 2:33 p.m. He had been shot to death, but authorities said they don’t know when he was killed.
“It was so unexpected, and it was devastating,’’ Jerika said. “My brother was a legend.”
“We’re just trying to hold it on the road,’’ she said, “because that’s what my brother would want us to do.”
Birmingham police have not announced any arrests or updates in De’Runnya’s slaying. His family said they don’t know who would want him dead or why. “If anybody had needed something, he would have given it to them,’’ his sister said. “We need answers. We need closure.”
Wilson played football for Wenonah High School in Birmingham where he was primarily a basketball star, earning first-team Parade All-American honors in 2013. He was named Alabama’s Mr. Basketball in 2013. He joined the football team in his senior season.
He then went on to become a wide receiver at Mississippi State from 2013 through 2015, finishing his career with 133 receptions for 1,949 yards and 22 touchdowns. He left school early to enter the NFL draft, but went undrafted and later spent time on the Chicago Bears' practice squad.
In 2013, Wilson was one of five Wenonah High Dragons basketball players to take part in a ‘Stop the Violence" public service announcement. "I just want to say to the city of Birmingham, we got to stop the violence because it’s having an effect on all the younger children,'’ he said.
The family has seen an outpouring of support over the past 48 hours since De’Runnya was discovered slain. A GoFundMe to help with his burial already has raised more than $12,000 for his funeral and future care of his four daughters and one son. Donations can be made here.
“Never did I imagine having to bury a child. January 21st presented an unexpected nightmare which forced my heart into mourning the loss of my handsome and talented son, Bear,’ his mother wrote. “Many of you have offered your help. One thing that will bring my heart peace is having a respectable service and celebrating his life the way that he deserves.”
“Yes, it is terribly difficult writing this and I don’t really know how much to say,’’ she continued. “But know that Bear was love and loved. Know that I believe in a God that makes a way out of no way. Know that your kindness, support and generosity mean so much to me and will never be forgotten.”
De’Runnya’s sister agreed that to see so much support is touching. “The love was real,’’ Jerika said. “People showing up in a time like this makes us feel like the love was really there.”
A Feb. 1 memorial service is being planned for Saturday, Feb. 1, at Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. Additional details will be released as they are confirmed.
Friends and family will gather outside De’Runnya’s Northland Avenue home at 6 p.m. Tuesday for a vigil.
“All of us loved him,’’ his sister said. “He knew that.”
Anyone with information in the slaying is asked to call Birmingham police homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.