BESSEMER’s tight‑knit community is reeling after 16‑year‑old Korderrian De’Vante Sims Jr. was shot and killed late Saturday night, leaving friends and family in shock. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Sims was found with gunshot wounds in the 700 block of 28th Terrace South around midnight on January 31 and was later pronounced dead at about 4:46 a.m. after efforts to save his life failed.
Neighbors say the quiet street where Sims was shot is now filled with somber conversation and candlelight, the kind of scene no one expects in a place where kids used to just play outside. Police and investigators were on site early Sunday, combing the area for clues and urging anyone with information to come forward.
Family members described Korderrian as a good kid with a bright smile, someone who loved hanging out with friends and had dreams beyond Bessemer’s boundaries. That spark is now gone, and loved ones are struggling to understand how a late‑night outing turned into a community’s heartbreak.
The Bessemer Police Department has classified the case as a homicide and continues its active investigation. At this time, authorities have not released a suspect or motive, and no arrests have been announced. Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact the department or CrimeStoppers.
For many in Bessemer, the tragedy hits close to home. Schools nearby held moments of silence and counselors were made available to students still trying to process the news. Teachers spoke of Sims in gentle terms, as a teenager with friends and classmates who now must carry his memory forward.
Community leaders and neighbors have started informal vigils near the site where Korderrian fell, laying flowers and handwritten notes that speak to love, loss, and the pain of too‑many young lives cut short by gun violence. These gatherings have become a place for shared grief and quiet reflection in a city that now feels both a little smaller and a lot more fragile.
As the investigation continues, families across Bessemer are holding their own close, reminding one another it’s okay to feel shaken and to support each other during this dark time. Officials say updates will be provided when new details emerge, but for now, a community mourns a boy they hoped would be someone’s tomorrow.
