Yo-yo champ's shooting death a mystery to family, police

BLAINE, Wash. — The death of a man from Western Washington who was one of the top yo-yo experts in America remains a mystery.

Nathan Dewitt is originally from Mount Vernon and his mother lives in Blaine.

Dewitt recently moved to be with his father in Phoenix, Ariz., where he went to a party Christmas night and was shot at some point.

Police speculate that DeWitt could have been shot at the party and then tried to drive away to get help.

The 23-year-old lost control of his SUV and crashed a few blocks from where he lived with his father.

Police said he crawled out of the SUV and told a neighbor he'd been shot.

Dewitt died from his injuries Wednesday.

As the investigation continues, DeWitt's parents talked about their son, who was a champion yo-yo player,  competitor and entertainer.

“He’s a light. He may not still be with us, but he’s still a light,” said Dewitt’s mother, Sandy Corrion.

“He always had a smile on his face.  He wouldn’t do anything to anybody,” said Dewitt’s stepfather, Dave Corrion.

Police in Phoenix are hoping someone might have seen DeWitt on Christmas.  They need to find the primary crime scene where the shooting happened so they can gather evidence as they search for the gunman.

Before he was killed, Dewitt had been working at Starbucks and had worked for various yo-yo companies.

He was the Pacific Northwest yo-yo champion in 2005, placed eighth in the 2008 competition and 18^th last year.

KIRO