When it came to her children and sneakers, Nakisha Billa always stocked up when she found a good deal. After one shopping trip, she and her son Domonic Billa came home with four pairs of sneakers for him thanks to a buy one, get one half off sale.
Later that day, one of Domonic’s friends came over to play video games. The friend was in a vulnerable state—his father had been murdered and his mother was incarcerated—and he didn’t have much. So Nakisha was surprised a few hours later when she spotted Domonic’s friend with a new pair of sneakers on his feet and a shoe box in his arms as he headed out the door.
Domonic told his mother: “I know what you’re going to say. He doesn’t have anyone to take care of him. He has holes in his shoes and he has to put plastic bags inside so his feet don’t get wet, so I gave him two pairs.”
Nakisha praised Domonic for his generosity and kindness, but pointed out that sneakers are expensive and he could have easily given his friend one of his old pairs.
“He said, ‘Don’t nobody like hand-me-downs. Everyone deserves the best,’” Nakisha said. “That’s the type of person he was.”
Keeping up with the latest styles was important to Domonic. On March 29, 2021 he was at Philadelphia Mills Mall shopping for a Dickie’s outfit, then he planned to stop by the Steamfitters Local Union 420 to see about an apprenticeship program. Domonic’s birthday was 4/20, or April 20, 1999, so he felt confident about it.
He would not make it. While at the Philadelphia Mills Mall food court that day, a fight involving multiple people broke out, and Domonic was fatally shot in the chest. About a month later, police arrested a 21-year-old man and charged him with Domonic’s murder.
Although Domonic was Nakisha’s fourth-oldest child, he was the first she gave birth to; her three oldest children were adopted. Domonic had one younger biological brother who is 15.
Domonic had three fathers: His biological father; his stepfather who legally adopted him; and Nakisha’s current partner, Leroy Russell, who is Domonic’s second stepfather.
Domonic’s great great grandmother gave him his first nickname when he was a baby: Chocolate Drop. He went by Dom growing up, and in recent years Nakisha called him Ace.
Domonic Billa and his mother Nakisha
“Domonic was a happy baby, a happy kid, very spoiled and very much loved,” Nakisha said. “As he got older, he was very chill and had a big heart. He was a very caring and loving person.”
He excelled at various sports, including football, baseball, basketball, track and swimming. He ran the Broad Street Run one year and came in first out of all of the students from his school.
In eighth grade, his talent as a singer became apparent and he was cast as Simba, the leading role in his school’s production of The Lion King. The kids created their own costumes, and Nakisha still has Domonic’s lion mask hanging on the wall in her home.
In 2018 he graduated from Liguori Academy High School, then enrolled in the construction program at Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center and became certified in carpentry.
Other job opportunities came his way, and he secured a position at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia working in the nutrition department. He was looking into a surgical technician training program offered at Jefferson while doing carpentry on the side.
Domonic was also skilled when it came to car repair, and he changed the alternator on his Audi on his own.
“I don’t think he settled on doing one thing,” Nakisha said. “He was going to do anything to bring him good income. He was willing to learn collision auto body, and he talked about taking classes to become a surgical technician. Whatever he did, he was going to make money.”
Nakisha and Domonic Billa
Nakisha described her son’s personality as “silly and goofy with a contagious laugh. People were so happy to have him around. On my gloomiest of days, he could brighten my day up. He was a quiet person but had a really big spirit.”
Late last year, Domonic called Nakisha because he found mice in his home. He had moved out when he turned 18 and was proud of his independence. But in a series of calls, he gave his mother a blow-by-blow account of the mice, asked how quickly she could get him a cat, and announced he would be sleeping in his car.
He called one more time, and Nakisha said, “Dom, come on home.” He replied, “I’m on my way.”
Domonic lived with Nakisha until his death.
“I now see it as God’s way of sending him home,” she said.
Every night, she’d go into his room and grab a handful of his thick, beautiful curls and kiss him good night.
“He allowed me to still treat him as my baby, because he always will be,” Nakisha said. “I’m grateful for that opportunity, and I thank God for it.”
Domonic is laid to rest at Ivy Hill Cemetery.
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