At least 18 people were killed in violence in Chicago last week, including an elderly west suburban businessman who often returned to his West Side neighborhood, where he advocated against violence and spent time trying to improve the relationship between the community and the police.
Sun-Times file photo
It remains unclear whether Ronald L. Allen was the intended target of the shooting that took his life as he drove home from a card game with friends early Friday in North Austin. About 2:20 a.m., someone opened fire on his vehicle in the in the 1300 block of North Laramie, striking him in the side, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His vehicle crashed into two parked cars, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
Allen, who grew up in the Austin, was one of the first black owners of an insurance agency backed by a major national company, Allstate, before retiring about seven years ago. He was also an activist whose goal was to help repair the relationship between police and communities with the group Urban Partnership. The Naperville resident, a graduate of Chicago State University, also hosted “The Financial Forum” on WVON-AM, and served as a precinct committeeman in Naperville Township and was active in the DuPage County NAACP.
Family members said it was not unusual for Allen to be playing cards in his old neighborhood. He was a big fan of the game Bid Whist, and even wrote a book, “The Evolution of Bid Whist,” on the history and strategy of the game. Allen was 73.
- Also shot to death in the city last week was a 25-year-old man with a 20-0 record as professional boxer. His co-manager said Ed “Bad Boy” Brown “was going to be a world champion.” Instead, the Garfield Park native, who wore a Chicago flag uniform when he fought, was gunned down early Saturday., just half a mile from his home, according to police and co-manager, Mike Cericola.
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