By ASHLEE REZIN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire
Maurice Jackson of Minneapolis was visiting his family for Thanksgiving when he was killed in a shooting early Sunday in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
Family members identified the 27-year-old, who had been living in Minneapolis for three years, but came back to the neighborhood in which he grew up to spend Thanksgiving weekend.
The father of three, whose youngest daughter is 3 months old, was supposed to head back to Minnesota later Sunday.
About 12:20 a.m., Jackson and his girlfriend were sitting in a parked Dodge car in the 5300 block of South Union when a male suspect exited a dark-colored car nearby and opened fire, according to Chicago Police.
After the shooting, the Dodge sped southbound on Union, struck a fire hydrant and then crashed into a tree in the 700 block of West Garfield, police said.
Jackson was shot in the left side of his body, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:15 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
A large bullet hole could be seen in the driver’s side window.
The 32-year-old woman suffered a graze wound to the left hip and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where her condition was stabilized, police said.
No one has been charged in connection with the shooting, police said.
“This is a tragedy, this child did not mess with nobody,” said Jackson’s aunt, Sabrina Taylor, adding that Jackson worked in a factory and was an aspiring rapper.
When Taylor first arrived at the scene, she walked up and down the block yelling, “We’re gonna burn this mother f—er down!” and “We’re gonna tear Union the f— up!”
“They killed the wrong child, this boy didn’t do nothing to nobody,” she said. “He don’t even live in Chicago.”
While police investigated and evidence technicians took photos at the scene, officers pulled their squad cars up close to the Dodge in an effort to block the body from sight of the family.
After officers spoke with Jackson’s mom, she walked away from the conversation screaming, “Why? Why? My baby!” She eventually left the scene flanked by family and friends.
“(Jackson) was a nice guy, I’m trying to figure out how he got caught up out here in this garbage,” Taylor said.
“We ain’t taking this lying down… If police don’t solve this issue, we’re gonna solve this issue.”