David Finney / Submitted photo
BY MATT McCALL
Homicide Watch Chicago
David Finney was almost done with an airbrushed mural of Michael Jordan and the 1992 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team, a friend said.
He will never get the chance to finish that mural because he was fatally shot April 10 during a domestic argument at his Morgan Park home, authorities said.
Friend Ashley Jones said Finney was an airbrush artist whose Roseland studio, Beyond Urban, kept the neighborhood safe.
Jones, 23, said Finney was always coming up with new ideas for drawings.
In 1999, Finney had a minor moment of fame as a mural artist for the film “Light It Up,” starring Usher Raymond and Forest Whitaker, Jones said.
Finney and Jones met at St. John’s Baptist Church, and she described him as a life-long mentor who encouraged her to go to school for graphic design.
“He taught me how to be a lady,” Jones said. “He saw me grow up from a baby to a lady.”
Prosecutors said Finney returned to his home in the 11300 block of South Green Street about 10 p.m. April 10 and got into an argument about money and bills with his brother, 42-year-old James Finney.
David Finney’s girlfriend then heard a single gunshot and James Finney say, “I just popped your ass,” prosecutors said.
James Finney ran away after the shooting, but police arrested him about 15 minutes later, prosecutors said. He was charged with first-degree murder and is currently being held on $1 million bond.
James Finney will be back in court May 1.
“[He] didn’t deserve what happened to him,” Jones said. “If anything were to happen, he would have wanted it to happen in his presence. He wanted us to be safe.”