Damien “DayDay” Rowden was killed and two other people were wounded in a drive-by shooting Sunday evening in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side.
The three were on a porch about 6:25 p.m. in the 3000 block of West Polk, according to Chicago Police.
An SUV drove by and someone inside opened fire.
Rowden, 19, was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:01 p.m., police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. He lived in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.
A 17-year-old boy was shot in both legs and was taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said. An 18-year-old man was shot in the right thigh and was taken in good condition to Stroger Hospital.
A former teacher, Jasmine Adams, wrote of Rowden on Facebook: “Literally at a loss for words; but then I remember the sweet serene energy that Damien brought to our work place and although he said little, I made sure to let him know that his life matters.
“I say time and time again that liberation and resistance HAS to start in the hood. The people most affected. Regardless of where he grew up, Damien deserved to live, he should still be here. It is moments like these that reignite the reason I do what I do.
“Damien Rowden, age 19 will be remembered for not what he does, but for simply existing. Praying healing over his mother.”
—Chicago Sun-Times Wire