THE Elsies River community is preparing to say goodbye to 13-year-old Daylin Adams, a Grade 5 learner at Valhalla Primary School, who was shot and killed protecting his three-year-old cousin
The full-of-life youngster, remembered for his infectious smile and big dreams, was killed on Sunday night by unknown gunmen in a vehicle he was travelling home with his uncle and three cousins after collecting pizza in Goodwood.
According to the family, Daylin had been travelling with his uncle and three cousins aged two, three and 18 when gunfire erupted.
Daylin, who had been seated in the front of the vehicle, reportedly leaned over toward his younger cousin seated at the back in an apparent attempt to protect him.
The 18-year-old cousin was also wounded in the shooting but managed to pull the two-year-old child from the vehicle and carry the toddler onto a nearby field for safety.
Despite being shot through the face, the uncle managed to drive the vehicle back home. It was only once they arrived that the family realised Daylin had been struck by a bullet.
He was declared dead on the scene.
Speaking to Weekend Argus, Daylin’s devastated mother, Lucille Adams, recalled the unimaginable moment she learnt her eldest son had been killed.
Lucille said she had been eagerly awaiting a reunion with her son after being released on bail on Monday while awaiting trial on drug-related charges. She was arrested on Christmas Eve 2025, the last time she saw her son.
She said: “I was so excited to see him. I heard he wanted to save his Sassa money to bail me out. I wanted to surprise him, hug him, let him know that I am home, then they told me what happened,” she said.
Fighting back tears, Lucille described Daylin as a child with endless ambition and a heart full of love.
Lucille said Daylin had dreamed of becoming a welder, a firefighter and a soccer player.
She said: “He was such a positive child, he never hanged out with the wrong crowd, he dreamt big, he wanted better.
“It feels like a piece of me was ripped out of my soul. No mother should ever feel this pain, it’s unbearable.
“He was just a child, he was just a baby, he was not a gangster.
He did not deserve this, he deserves to live. I know people will say he’s in a better place, I know he is, but I want him back.
“I miss him, I miss his morning kisses, his constant hanging on me, I was looking forward to that again. I will miss his energy, how he would tell me he loves me and when I say it back that face he would pull.
“I wish I could tell him for one last time how much I love him. I just want justice for my baby.”
The circumstances surrounding the shooting are still under investigation.