Dante J. Swanson | Homicide Watch Chicago

D'Ante 'Newz' Swanson loved his family, making music and working to improve his Auburn-Gresham community

Elizabeth Czapski — Thu, 04 May 2017 10:04:23 -0500

By ELIZABETH CZAPSKI
Homicide Watch Chicago

LaDarryl Walls recalled his cousin, D'Ante J. Swanson, was his grandmother's "right-hand man." His three main activities were helping his grandmother, whom he called "Grams"; making music, and going to work, Walls said.

D'Ante Swanson | photo provided

It was after getting off work on Jan. 5 that Swanson was shot to death Jan. 5 while sitting in his car in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side.

Someone walked up to the 28-year-old about 11:15 p.m. as he sat in the driver’s seat of his car, parked in front of the Hyde Park Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the 800 block of East 46th Street, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The suspect fired repeatedly, striking Swanson several times across the body, police said. Swanson, also known as "Taye" or "Newz" died at the scene, authorities said.

Swanson worked for FedEx, but it was not clear if robbery was the motive for the shooting. He had stopped in the neighborhood to visit family members after getting off work when he was attacked.

His grandmother, Betty Jo Swanson, whom he lived with, got a call from D'Ante's uncle that night, telling her what had happened. The news spread quickly through their large family, she said.

Betty Jo Swanson/Facebook

D'Ante was intending to visit his mother and aunt, who live in Bronzeville, when he was shot, Betty Swanson said. She did not go to the crime scene, but other family members did. "His mom was in a state of shock, almost, because, you know, to see your child like that is more than a notion, especially a child that’s never been a problem to you at all," she said.

Betty Swanson said her grandson was unfamiliar with the Bronzeville neighborhood, and she believes he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one is in custody for the shooting.

D'Ante Swanson worked part-time as a package handler for FedEx for 10 years, and had just saved up enough money to buy a car, a 2015 Chrysler 300, which he was sitting in when he was shot, Betty Swanson said. She said she believes the car may have brought him to the shooter's attention.

Swanson's passion was making music, family members said. The aspiring rapper, whose performing name was "Newz," and his cousins often got together to write and perform songs, calling themselves the "C.O.B." for "Circle of Blood." He and his cousins were "very close" and talked every day, Walls said.

When he wasn't making music, Swanson was watching cartoons, playing video games or bowling, Betty Swanson said. He was a talented bowler, and played in a bowling league.

"He went through bowling from early life all the way up to his last breath," Betty Swanson said. As a kid he was involved in a variety of sports, including swimming, basketball and baseball, which Betty Swanson's older brother coached, she said. He also loved to dance.

Growing up, he was "fun-loving" and "well-rounded," Swanson said, recalling that he always wore big glasses because of his poor eyesight. He "had a lot in his life that was positive."

Swanson's cousin, Brandon Williams, remembered playing sports with him and the other boys in their family. "He was a really happy person," Williams said. "He was always smiling. I’ve never seen him upset."

Swanson attended Chicago International Charter School and CICS Longwood Academy. He was taking online college courses before he was killed, according to his grandmother. "He was on the move of trying to do something positive. At the age of 28, he’s still young enough, you know, to become something. And so this is as far as he made it," she said.

D'Ante Swanson/Facebook

Betty Swanson is a fixture in the Auburn-Gresham community, having lived there for more then 50 years. She is the president of the 79th and Carpenter Block Club, and has worked with city officials through the years to reduce violence and generally improve the neighborhood, according to articles by Medill Reports Chicago.

Betty Swanson said she has volunteered around the community since she moved there, but became more active in 1985, when the alderman offered her a volunteer position after the death of her husband. Since then, she's never stopped working to improve the neighborhood.

D'Ante became an activist alongside his grandmother, helping the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GAGDC) set up for events like the annual 79th Street Renaissance Festival, attending Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meetings and supporting the alderman when necessary. He also helped with the senior group she chairs.

"All my grandkids grew up working the community of Auburn-Gresham," Betty Swanson said. It was something that they genuinely enjoyed and never thought of as a chore, she said.

Because of his volunteer work, D'Ante was well-known in the community, and his funeral was crowded with people outside of his large family who came to pay their respects, Betty Swanson said.

"It hurt, but I was still proud that he left this earth with a nice clean slate, and looking good. That’s my main concern, that all my grandkids stay as clean as they can through life," she said.

D'Ante Swanson/Facebook

Walls said Swanson was the first person in their family to be killed by gun violence, and he's still "shocked" by the situation.

He hopes telling people about D'Ante will show them the effect violence has on families and communities. "He was tremendously loved by his entire family," he said.

"These things happen to everybody, a lot of people every day, and in some cases, not much gets done. We just want to see justice, not just for him, but for a lot of parents who lost their kids in the same manner," Walls said. "Being a citizen of Chicago, we're kind of getting tired of the violence."

WEEK IN REVIEW: At least 8 die from violence in Chicago, including two teenage boys, and two brothers

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:30:16 -0600

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

At least eight people were killed in Chicago violence last week, including two brothers and a pair of teenage boys, all of whom died after a pair of shootings on the West Side.

The boys were killed in a drive-by shooting that also left a 65-year-old woman was wounded Tuesday afternoon in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

Sixteen-year-old Malik McNeese and a 17-year-old Stevie Jefferson were on a sidewalk about noon in the 3400 block of West Fulton when a black SUV pulled up. Someone in the vehicle opened fire, hitting the younger boy in the head, back and arm; and the older boy in the head, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

McNeese was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead; while Jefferson died after being taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, authorities said.

A stray bullet went through the front door of a home on the block, hitting the 65-year-old woman in the leg. She was taken to Mount Sinai in good condition, police said.

About 12 hours later, the brothers were fatally shot in the Homan Square neighborhood Tuesday night. Officers responding at 11:13 p.m. to a call of shots fired in the 3200 block of West Lexington found the pair lying in the street, police said.

Simmieon McGruder, 23, was shot in the head and left arm, and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:52 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. His brother, 25-year-old Simmie McGruder, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and died at Mount Sinai at 5:13 a.m. the next morning.
A 31-year-old man who worked as finance manager at Chicago Tech Academy High School was found shot to death Saturday morning just a block away from the school in the University Village neighborhood.
Jason "Jay" Goodfriend was found when officers responded to a report of a man slumped over inside a running vehicle about 9:50 a.m. in the 1300 block of West Hastings, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Goodfriend had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:07 a.m., authorities said.
A 33-year-old man died Friday, nearly two weeks after being wounded in a mass shooting Christmas night in the East Chatham neighborhood that left another pair of brothers dead. Three men were killed and four others wounded in the shooting, which happened about 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 25, police said.
A group of people were gathered on the porch of a home in the 8600 block of South Maryland for a holiday party when someone wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt walked out from an alley and opened fire before running away.

Steven Freeman, of the 7600 block of South Normal, was shot in the body and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 1:53 a.m. Friday, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Also killed in that shooting were James Gill, 18, who was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene; and his brother Roy Gill III, 21, who was shot multiple times and died at Christ Medical Center, authorities said. A 35-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was also taken to Christ, where he was listed in critical condition, police said. A 27-year-old man and 21-year-old woman both suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and were taken to Stroger, where their conditions were stabilized. A 39-year-old man shot in the foot later and was in good condition, police said.
A 36-year-old man was shot to death late Thursday in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. Someone walked up to Dante J. Swanson about 11:15 p.m. as he sat in the driver’s seat of a car parked in the 800 block of East 46th Street, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. The suspect fired repeatedly, striking Swanson several times across the body. He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Swanson worked as a delivery driver for FedEx, and had just ended a work shift when he was shot.
The week's first homicide occurred when an off-duty Chicago Police officer fatally shot a man on the Northwest Side after an argument Monday morning, officials said. The medical examiner’s office identified the slain man as 38-year-old Jose Nieves, who was shot several times though did not have a weapon, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the 57-year-old cop, assigned to the mass transit unit, does not live in the area but knew the person he shot from another “confrontation a few weeks ago.”

An “altercation” between the men escalated about 9:30 a.m. in front of a Nieves' residence in the 2500 block of North Lowell, and the officer shot him multiple times, according to a police statement. Nieves was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he died less than an hour later.

The police department and Independent Police Review Authority have opened simultaneous investigations into the shooting. The department announced Tuesday that the officer has been stripped of his police powers.

Dante Swanson shot to death while sitting in his car in front of church in Bronzeville after getting off work

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 10:54:23 -0600

Dante J. Swanson was shot to death late Thursday while sitting in his car after getting off work in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side.

Authorities investigate after a man was fatally shot in Bronzeville late Jan. 5, 2017. | Network Video Productions

Someone walked up to the 28-year-old Swanson about 11:15 p.m. as he sat in the driver’s seat of his car, parked in front of the Hyde Park Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the 800 block of East 46th Street, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The suspect fired repeatedly, striking Swanson several times across the body, police said. Swanson, of the 7900 block of South Carpenter, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Swanson worked for FedEx, but it was not clear if robbery was the motive for the shooting. He had stopped in the neighborhood to visit family memebers after getting off work when he was attacked.

Authorities investigate after a man was fatally shot in Bronzeville late Jan. 5, 2017. | Network Video Productions

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire