Darin Booker was 13 when he was fatally shot on August 3, 2014, just blocks from his home in Florida City. Family friends had gathered nearby when 15-year-old Curtis Hollinger produced a gun and, believing it to be unloaded, fired it three times. On the third shot a bullet struck Darin in the chest; he died at the scene despite attempts to save him.

Hollinger fled and tried to hide the weapon in nearby bushes, gave false statements to police, and later confessed. He told investigators he had purchased the gun illegally from another minor. On August 5, 2014, Hollinger was arrested and charged with manslaughter and resisting arrest without violence; juvenile court ordered secure detention and the case could be transferred to adult court.

Darin was remembered as a joyful seventh grader at Redlands Middle School who loved to laugh and play football. A vigil drew friends and family to mourn his death.