BY KALEY FOWLER
Homicide Watch Chicago
Marcus McCarty was looking forward to his first day of high school, his family said.
But Marcus, 14, never got the chance to walk those halls after being shot Aug. 24 in the 1100 block of North Leclaire Avenue in the Austin community, authorities said. Marcus died about an hour later at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.
Marcus’ mother, Sandra Bronson, described Marcus as a responsible teen who helped out around the house and did chores for his grandmother. He also enjoyed reading, especially the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series.
Marcus wasn’t always quiet, though, and his mother said he loved to debate and hoped to be a lawyer.
“Once he started talking he’d never shut up,” Bronson said. “He loved to debate and always wanted to have the last word — always. I wish that he had gotten a second chance to be the lawyer he wanted to become.”
Bronson said Marcus had a close relationship with his family, especially his older brother.
Marcus McCarty / Photo from Facebook
“They were five years apart but Marcus really looked up to his big brother,” Bronson said.
Authorities said two males approached Marcus on the street — about a block from his Austin home — and one of them shot him in the back just before 3 p.m. After the shooting, the pair got into a dark Infiniti and drove away, police said.
“I’ve seen it on the news so many times but I never expected something like this to happen to me,” Bronson said. “It’s been terribly hard. I loved him with all my heart. My heart goes out to everyone that has had to walk in these shoes.”
Nobody has been charged for the murder. Area North detectives are investigating.