Shawn's tragic death was not an anomaly. Over 14,913 serious incident reports—including 372 sexual assaults and 2,702 drug incidents—were recorded in 2023 alone. Yet centers remain open, deaths are rarely made public, and staff are often discouraged from speaking. Shawn’s case aligns too closely with these patterns not to demand transparency!!!

Who is impacted?

My name is Trishawnna Dandridge, and I’m the mother of Shawn Fortune, a 21-year-old student who died at the Pittsburgh Job Corps Center on February 26, 2025. Shawn struggled with mental health challenges, which were formally documented by his care team here in Maryland before he transferred to Pittsburgh. His providers had detailed knowledge of his diagnoses and needs, and Job Corps was made aware of this. But once he arrived in Pittsburgh, things quickly went wrong. He became lethargic almost immediately, telling a friend on the phone that the medication they gave him made him feel funny. I believe he was given something that altered his behavior, and that he thought he had to take it as a prescription—even though it was making him feel unwell. Staff saw that he was sluggish for two days straight and never got him medical help. Yet in his belongings, they included a handwritten note saying, “Don’t take meds during the day—you need to be alert,” suggesting they knew what was happening and ignored it. Job Corps protocol requires that the wellness center distributes medication, not that students manage unknown pills on their own.

What is at stake?

On the third day, my son was found cold and unresponsive with blood around his mouth and head. The EMS report, autopsy, and toxicology raise serious questions: a neck contusion with no explanation, designer fentanyls in his system, and a roommate who admitted to giving him pills—yet no investigation followed. No surveillance footage has been released. No one has been held accountable. If this isn’t exposed, other families will suffer the same fate. Our sons deserve to be protected, not discarded. This could happen to any young man especially black, with mental health needs in a system that doesn’t value his life.

Why is now the time to act?

I’ve contacted civil rights groups, the Department of Justice, state and local officials, and multiple media outlets. I’ve been ignored or brushed off. It feels like these institutions are working together to hide the truth. I believe there is a larger cover-up involving student deaths and displacements at this center, and my son was caught in it. I’m asking for the public to join me—sign this petition and demand a full federal investigation into Shawn’s death, the actions of Job Corps staff, and the silence of the agencies involved. Shawn was a son, a brother, and a bright young man. He mattered. We deserve answers!!