Maurice ‘Dirty Reese’ Purnell of Elgin shot to death in drive-by while visiting with family in Austin

Maurice “Dirty Reese” Purnell of Elgin was killed in a drive-by shooting Saturday evening while visiting relatives in the West Side Austin neighborhood.

The 28-year-old Purnell was standing outside about 5 p.m. in the 1200 block of North Laramie when someone fired shots from a passing vehicle, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Purnell was shot in the upper chest and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, according to police. He he was pronounced dead there less than an hour later at 5:53 p.m., authorities said. An autopsy showed he died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the medial examiner’s offce.

A family member said Purnell had formerly lived in Austin but had moved to northwest suburban Elgin to have a better place to raise his children. He had been visiting a relative’s home and had just left when he was shot.

The family member said he was referred to as “Dirty Reese” from the time he was 8 years old because his nose was often running and his eyes crusted because of an allergy.

She said Purnell was not in a gang, and not involved in any gang-related activities.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

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