“Always a protector”: loved ones remember 18-year-old Esaias Webb, killed in May shooting

Esaias Webb was just a month over 18 when he was killed in a shooting on May 25.

Police responded to a report of a person shot on the 10100 block of Montery Road on the northeast side of Indianapolis. Police found Webb, who was transported to a hospital in critical condition from gunshot injuries. He died shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Despite his young age, Vanessa Dumas said that her son always seemed older than his years. As a child, he would hold doors open for others and walk behind her to ensure she was safe. He was “always a protector,” she said.

Webb was the youngest of three boys. He stood at 5’10 and just under 180lbs, but he was “strong,” his mother said, recalling how he would find a way to move the most unwieldy furniture on his own.

“To me, he feels like a soldier, he doesn’t run from his problems,” said Kimora Cole, Webb’s girlfriend. “He never really seems scared, even though he might be, he wouldn’t let it be known.”

Even as a child, Esaias Webb would carry himself with a sense of dignity. When someone asked what his name was, he would puff out his chest and announce, “Esaias David Webb,” Dumas, recalled.

Webb was proud of the biblical meaning of his name. Both Dumas and Cole characterized him by his dedication to the church.

For four months in 2021, Webb held a prayer circle before school in the parking lot outside of his workplace. He would lead around 20 other kids in praying for folks over FaceTime and others who made requests.

Once, Dumas recalled, another employee had raised a concern about what the kids were doing.

“We would rather for them to pray than have to deal with some guns,” she remembered telling him.

But Webb wasn’t sanctimonious — as a toddler, he would shuffle himself into the middle of the aisle at church to bask in everyone singing and clapping, Esaias Webb’s father William Webb recalled.

“He was the littlest thing and he had to make his way so he could see everything,” William Webb said.

He was a naturally curious child, William Webb said, and that curiosity was expressed both inside and outside of the church.

Whenever William Webb was working on a project like fixing the lawnmower or working in the garden, his son would come up to him, exclaiming, “Pops!” and asking to get involved. William Webb recalled an occasion when Esaias Webb was a toddler and saw his older brother go into the pool. Esaias Webb darted after him into the water, and while the adults were scrambling to try and get him out, he started squealing with laughter.

“He was just absolutely fearless,” William Webb said.

Many thought of Esaias Webb as “Lil E,” a quiet but goofy kid who loved to make music and cook.

He sang in choir performances in 7th and 8th grade, which Dumas said she never missed. When he would spot her in the sea of parents, his face would light up with a cheesy grin and he would “sing his little heart out.”

Even as he got older, he continued his love for music. Cole said she would catch him humming songs she sent him throughout the day and he would often play her beats or rap songs he made in his room.

Dumas recalled driving from Gary to Indianapolis with Fred Hammond’s “I Know What He’s Done” on repeat, neither of them tiring of belting the song out with their windows down. Playing the song now, she still can’t help smiling and singing along: He gave his life to set me free … My faith in his word helps me endure.

Webb believed in showing those around him love through food, Dumas said. Whenever she was feeling unwell, he’d whip up a plate of fried potatoes for her and peep his head into her room throughout the day to check in on her. At school, he would often bring Cole her favorite candy or buy her lunch. Cole said she had always looked forward to trying his cooking one day.

Popcorn was his favorite snack, Dumas said. He loved it so much — and burnt so many packets of microwave popcorn — that she got him a popcorn machine cart that still sits nestled in the corner of the living room.

Webb was also a dedicated worker, having worked at a barbershop and various restaurants. On several occasions, Dumas said, Webb would save up his earnings to buy a meal for someone in need. She remembered him regularly rooting around in their freezer to “grocery shop” for friends who were struggling to feed themselves.

“He was that type of kid that if you needed some help, you can count on him,” Dumas said. “If you were hungry, he was going to feed you.”

Jeff Harkin, the principal at North Central High School, where Webb attended, said that Webb was “one of the most polite young men” he had ever met as an educator. Over the two years that he knew Webb, they became close. Although Webb was reserved, he would go out of his way to greet or help someone, Harkin said.

“Finding some stability and finding some people that he could really trust was important to him,” Harkin said.

Towards the end of one semester, Harkin and one of the school’s resource officers wanted to celebrate how far Webb had come. They brought him into Harkin’s office, quickly allaying Webb’s nerves when they told him he was not in any trouble, they just wanted to pay for his tickets to prom. The “sheer joy” on Webb’s face is something Harkin said he will never forget.

Cole said that her favorite memory of Webb was the night of their prom. Webb wore an all-black suit with a peach bowtie and pocket square to match the color of Cole’s dress. When they pulled up to prom, Webb went around to her side of the car, opened her door and yelled out, “I have the best prom date ever!”

School wasn’t always easy for Webb, but Dumas said that he would always make an effort to show up. And with the guidance of Harkin, he was on his way to graduating high school. Cole said they had talked about one day opening a salon together. Having worked at a barbershop for a few years, Webb took pride in his hair. He kept the old hair he cut short, Dumas said, so now his friends and relatives keep a lock of his hair.

He also planned to get his commercial driver’s license so that he could work as a truck driver.

Webb’s death is one of over 100 homicides that the city has seen this year. Dumas cited this statistic, adding that she knows she will have to relive the devastation she felt with every new report or piece of information about Webb’s death.

“The words are not going to bring him back home,” Dumas said. “I’m not seeing him, I’m not touching him, I’m not hearing his voice.”

All Dumas can do now is hold onto his old possessions: a photograph of Webb that was used at his funeral service, his school ID, the last cheque that his job sent him. She wears the bracelet she gave him for Christmas with the Lord’s prayer on it — Webb’s brothers have matching ones.

“The shoes I wear, you don’t know what they feel like,” Dumas said. “But I want justice. With revenge, I’ll never have justice.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 18-year-old Esaias Webb killed in shooting