By JasmineHughes
“I can’t cry anymore,” said 16-year-old Devin Brown, brother of 13-year-old Darius Brown who was shot while playing basketball in a park earlier this week.
Darius was shot in the neck at 5:20 p.m. Wednesday on the 4200 block of South State Street while playing basketball at Metcalfe Park in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. Police said he was the unintended target of gunfire that erupted from a passing car.
The boy was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital where he was listed in critical condition. He died later Wednesday night.
Devin, who said he was almost always with Darius, was on his way to meet his younger brother at the basketball court when the shooting occurred. The ambulance was there by the time he arrived.
A sergeant told NBC Chicago that police have not yet found the car from which the bullet was fired. But Thursday afternoon police released an image of white car seen in the area at the time of the shooting. Family members said they’re stunned by what happened and are simply fed up with violence and gun fire in the city.
“You read about it. You hear it on the news. You pray that it stops, but when it affects home you really feel it,” said Darius’ older sister, Paris Morrison. “It’s sad because of the violence that’s going on. He was innocent,” Morrison said.
Darius would have been an 8th grader at Holy Angels Catholic School. John Berry, the school’s athletic director, said Darius is the second incoming 8th grader he’s lost in the past few years.
“It’s time for the city to have youth centers that are protected environments,” he said.
Friends and community members gathered near the scene of the shooting Thursday afternoon to decry the violence. A reward of $9,000 is now being offered for information that leads to an arrest.
Above Darius’ Teammates from Robert Taylor Park embrace each other. Teammate Matthew Robinson said: “We were just with him yesterday. We want something positive from this. Darius didn’t deserve this.”
This is so sad; unfortantely this is what the world has come too. Yes, there is violence in every community, city and state. You hear this of these things daily on the news…Do people have no concious today? My God, you killed a young black child, I’m sure in error, but not once did you step up and say I did it…My prayers are with the family…
Lord forgive them for they know not what they do! Have mercy on their souls and keep the family in your bosom of Grace. We pray for the replacement of gunfire with peaceful conversations and positive solutions. Amen!
We have to remain focused on HOW DO BLACK TEENS GET GUNS WHEN THEY HAVE NO LICENSE? WHO IS GIVING OUR CHILDREN THESE GUNS? WHERE IS THE SOURCE? I think just as the tobacco companies had to be partly responsible for their heinous greed crimes, so should gun manufacturers be held liable. Also, lets not forget the recent discovery of the government (FBI) involvement in allowing guns to be filtrated into the streets.
Three people suspected of smuggling guns to Mexico were arrested in … federal investigators traced the gun used in the killing … Some had the nerve to blame the Obama administration, but this has been going on for decades before Obama got into office. Think about Ally North arms for drugs conspiracy….This is just another white supremacist attempt at genocide that the UN needs to address. For those fools out there who come with the rationalization “GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE DO” without guns people cannot kill. So go figure that.
Funny how Chicago has the strictest gun laws yet have the most gun violence …figure that one out
its not the guns…..its the culture yall have been breeding and feeding in that city while sitting, praying and doing nothing. There are plenty of guns and kids where I live ….but they dont go around killing everyone….go figure. I wonder what the difference is ? Guns are not the problem …..People are the problem.
Stop making excuses for bad parenting and social maladjustment
that no one there is doing a damn thing about and anyone who does is ignored.
In case you didnt know ….this so called conspiracy is right , and we make it possible through ignorant ideas which find every other reason “why” instead of facing the truth. Skip the smugglers just because they smuggle guns dont mean they are gonna jump from the boxes and commit genocide. It takes a human being with no heart and a lot of anger and hate to make that happen. Ask yourself why “they” own the majority of guns in their homes and so on….but we get them and use them on ourselves.
Im one of those fools you speak of and im glad i am , cause when the media finishes brainwashing you into believe that somehow in a “Son of Sam” type of way the dog (gun) told them to kill someone and its not their fault they killed someone ,its the dogs (guns) fault it will be too late. It may already be.
Yall better wake up to the BIG PICTURE.
It aint what you think it is.
I pray that one day our people will decide that no matter how hard times get for us, we take a stand against selling the devil’s drugs and guns. I pray that we decide not to use his drugs or guns.
There is no political policy that can teach self love and/or self worth.
Parents, and not just maternal, must live in a way as close to pleasing God as possible. We must give a proper introduction between God and our children. How do expect them to revere him if they don’t know him.
I am soooooooo tired of the citizens of Chicago using guns as the excuse for the violence.
Your kids have violent tendencies and a gun does not teach them that ….You have to be violent to pull the trigger, the parents or lack there of might as well be pulling the trigger themselves..
Chicago is a society of excuse makers. I have lived a lot of places nationally and guns are a regular part of life in other communities yet people arent being randomly gunned down as quickly or randomly
as in the city of Chicago. Try to say its the same everywhere if you like , but unless you have lived or at least traveled in other places as much as i have…… save it.
People please start taking responsibility for your children and what they are learning and not let the streets be their parents and a lot of this will stop. Pure laziness on the part of too many so-called parents.
Stop making excuses for bad parenting and these killers you have been raising.
Pray …..but prayer without works is dead………Period.
My heart goes out to the family of this young child as a I grieve the loss and remind myself of the problems that exist within our communities. it’s hard t imagine that this could happen to anyone’s child but we all need to wake up and begin to take our communities back, By Any Means Necessary. I really mean it, even if it means that we must begin the arduous task of weeding out these idoits within our community by elimating them and others who subscribe to this type of behavior. One things for sure, a man with a gun only responds to another man with a gun. i know it sounds terrible but you’ve got to understand the mentallity of those who continue to destroy our communities with their so called gang violence. This effort is not for the weak of heart because it requires a military mind to deal with these idiots. it will also require our continued focus on the plight of this child as well as so many other young brothers who have been cut down in gun violence.
I am truly saddened to hear of this family’s loss. My prayers are with them during this difficult time. In reference to this, yet another senseless act of violence, all I have to say is…..”PREACH, B. Forbes, PREACH!!!” Take notes & listen people! That’s TRUTH!!