Baltimore's music community mourns as rising star President Davo is fatally shot

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore City’s music community is mourning the loss of a rising star. According to police, 28-year-old David Boykin, a local artist who went by the stage name President Davo, was shot and killed in East Baltimore Friday.

Friends and family say his life and music career was cut short just as Boykin was on the brink of his big break.

"He was special because of his voice. His voice is like a tool in itself. It was like an instrument," said Boykin's manager and close friend Lorenzo Bryd.

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"He was somebody that everybody looked at as one that could get out and be a representative for the city," said friend and fellow Baltimore City rapper StarrZ.

Police say Boykin was found in the 2000 block of Cliftwood Avenue suffering from several gunshot wounds Friday around 6 p.m. As the search for a suspect continues, BPD is now offering an $8,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.

"You know, we live in a treacherous city," said Bryd.

According to Bryd, tragedies like these are becoming all too common for those involved in Baltimore City's music industry.

"We’re losing our kids, man. We’re losing them to the jails, to the streets, to death, to all of that," he said.

"He was a city hero," said StarrZ.

StarrZ describes Boykin as much more than an entertainer. He says he was an activist, known for giving back to his community by partnering with local drug abuse prevention programs.

"The opioid crisis going on, he was helping fight against that because you want kids to stop taking medicine and pills. He was into those kind of things. He was for the neighborhoods, he was for the kids," said StarrZ.

Boykin's loved ones now hope that his mission to make Baltimore a better place will live on through his music and the three young children he leaves behind.

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"Go to his YouTube, stream his videos, all his proceeds and everything go to his kids," said Bryd.

"He was one of the greatest from our city," said StarrZ, "And whether he knew it or not, he will be remembered as being one of greatest from our city."

If you have any information on this case police ask that you contact Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-756-2587.