Jervon Morris | Homicide Watch Chicago

Though almost blind, Jervon Morris was 'community's little brother,' inspiring everyone he knew and met

Blair Paddock — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 15:30:16 -0500

By BLAIR PADDOCK
Homicide Watch Chicago

Jervon Morris | Rashawnda Rice

Jervon Morris was an "average teenager," spending his time playing basketball, drawing, and doing volunteer work, according to his sister, Tiffany Morris.

Suffering cataracts from a very young age, and a surgery-gone-wrong, had left the boy blind in one eye and suffering other vision problems. But he didn't let that define him, and continually inspired his peers, classmate Ian Boyd said.

"He is an inspirational person, proving he is more than a person with a disability," Boyd said. "Jervon devoted his life to proving that, whether he believed it or not."

On Memorial Day, Morris' life was cut short when he got caught in the crossfire of at least two gunmen while doing what he loved—playing basketball in Euclid Park, just a block from his home. He was shot in the head about 5:40 p.m. and died minutes later, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Morris was not believed to be the shooter's intended target, police said.

"It could have been anyone in the park; that park was filled with kids," Tiffany Morris said.

Jervon Morris | Rashawnda Rice

YouCaring and GoFundMe pages have been created to help the family with funeral expenses.

Sister Rashawnda Rice was at home when the cops came to tell her the news of Morris' death. He was known to many in the Longwood Manor neighborhood as "Jo-jo," with few knowing his actual name.

Rice said when police came to her door, they simply said "Jo-jo is on the ground."

"I was in shock at first," Rice said. "Shocked that he was lying on the ground, shocked that he wasn't living anymore."

Morris was a ray of sunshine, who "woke up with the birds" and had an old soul, Tiffany Morris said. She said she hopes the community remembers his bright spirit.

"He was so nice and sweet to everybody," Rice said. "He laughed at everything even if it was corny."

Jervon Morris | Rashawnda Rice

After graduating from Curie Metropolitan High School in 2014, Morris spent much of his time volunteering at Euclid Park, working with other teens and children in the community.

Even when he wasn't volunteering, he spent most of his time at the park playing basketball. He had never played in high school or on an official team, but saw it as a way to connect with his sister, who played the sport.

"With not being able to see as much, he couldn't do as much as the other kids, but he had a passion for basketball," she said.

Morris also had a skill for drawing, Boyd said. In school, he would draw cartoon characters from memory with great detail. His skills were impressive to the point that teachers encouraged him to apply to art schools in the city, Boyd added.

"He drew on anything he could get his hands on," Tiffany Morris said.

Morris was looking at colleges in the city, wanting to attend and continually learn, Tiffany Morris said.

"I want the community to remember him not just as disabled and taking benefits, but as an inspiration to me and other peers who didn't stop chasing his dreams," Boyd said.

Tiffany Morris said she hopes they get justice for Morris and the neighborhood takes steps to create a safer environment. The violence in Longwood Manor, like the rest of Chicago, is out of control, she added.

"He was everyone's little brother," Tiffany Morris said. "If the community doesn't work together [to stop the violence], their little brother could be next."

WEEK IN REVIEW: At least 19 people were killed, three in domestic violence situations, last week in Chicago

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 14:00:06 -0500

By JEFF MAYES
Homicide Watch Chicago

In one of the bloodiest weeks of the first half of the year, a total of 19 people were murdered in Chicago last week, including a visually-impaired teenager, a man shot to death by his stepson, and two young women who were the victims in murder-suicides.

Sun-Times file photo by Ashlee Rezin

The week started off with five fatal shootings on Memorial Day, the shooting of the physicaly and mentally handicapped teen, shot while playing basketball at a park across the street from his home.

Jervon Morris, 18, was shot in the head about 5:40 p.m. in the 9800 block of South Wallace, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The special needs student and graduate of Curie Metro High School, lost most of his eyesight as a very young boy, and had other physical and mental impairments. But he loved to play basketball (by sound) and volunteer for kids' aprogram at the park across the street from his Longwood Manor home.

But he was in the park when he apprently got caught in the crossfire between gang members and was struck in the head, police said. Morris, who lived about a block away, was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:58 p.m.

Two of the other holiday shootings were domestic in nature.

A man and woman were found shot to death Monday morning in a murder-suicide in the South Side Bronzeville neighborhood. Tiara "Chiquita" Goodman, 25; and 32-year-old Marcel Davis were found about 10:50 a.m. in the hallway of her apartment building in the 2900 block of South State, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Both had been shot in the head.

Goodman was pronounced dead at 11:03 a.m., and the Davis at 12:24 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. A gun was recovered at the scene. Autopsies ruled Goodman's death a homicide. Davis, who was Goodman's ex-boyfriend, shot her in the head, then turned the gun on himself, according to authorities. His death was ruled a suicide.

Less than an hour later, a 52-year-old man was killed in a domestic-related shooting in the West Side Austin neighborhood. Oscar L. Clay got into an argument with his 27-year-old stepson in the 1700 block of North Narragansett at 1:32 p.m., and the younger man pulled out a handgun and shot him, according to police and Cook COunty prosecutors.

Clay, who lived in the home along with his wife and her son, was pronounced dead there, according to authorities. Clay's stepson, Leshaun Hodges, was arrested days later and charged with the murder. Prosecutors said Clay attempted to intervene in an argument between his wife and her son, and Hodges got a gun and shot him multiple times. He is being held without bond.

The week's other domestic-related murder occurred the following Sunday when a man suspected of fatally shooting his girlfriend Sunday afternoon in the Logan Square neighborhood on the Northwest Side was found dead hours later, police said. Shantae M. Nevith, 22, was shot during an argument about 12:25 p.m. in the 2500 block of West Lyndale, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Shot in the head and back, whe was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 1:57 p.m.

The man, identified as 22-year-old Charles Torrence Jr., ran away after the shooting. Police said he was found at 7:34 p.m. in the 4300 block of West Carroll with a gunshot wound to the head that appeared to be self-inflicted. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:44 p.m., authorities said.

Torrence Jr. and Nevith had lived togehter in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.

The week's final homicide was shot to death early Sunday in the West Town neighborhood on the Near West Side. Officers responded to a call of shots fired at 3:14 a.m. and found Edward Mason, 41, lying on the ground in an empty lot in the 1800 block of West Maypole, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Mason, who lived in the North Center neighborhood, had been shot in the head and chest, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A man was killed and another wounded just minutes later and a few blocks away in West Town. The men, ages 33 and 34, were walking on the sidewalk about 3 a.m. in the 200 block of North Leavitt when multiple shooters fired at them, according to police. The 33-year-old, Mauriaze Waltize Cossom, was shot in the back and leg. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 3:55 a.m., authorities said. The 34-year-old was also taken to Stroger Hospital with a gunshot wound to the right leg, and his condition was stabilized.
A 19-year-old man died after being wounded in a shooting Saturday afternoon in the West Side Austin neighborhood. Someone walked up to Quinton Flowers at 1:06 p.m. in the 5400 block of West Cortez and shot him in the chest and body, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Flowers, who lived in the same block, was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead about 6 hours later.
A man was shot to death earlier Saturday in Englewood. Novajah Ringold, 21, was arguing with another male about 11:45 a.m. in the 6100 block of South Throop when the male pulled out a handgun and shot him in the head and torso, according to police. The shooter then ran away. Ringold, known to friends as Vajah, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.
A 27-year-old man was killed in a drive-by shooting Friday afternoon in the Princeton Park neighborhood on the South Side. Marshall Palm was in the 200 block of West 95th Street at 3:51 p.m. when suspects fired shots from a light-colored SUV, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Palm, who lived in the Roseland neighborhood, was shot at least once and was taken to Roseland Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
A 23-year-old man was shot to death a couple hours earlier in the Chatham neighborhood on the South Side. Jamal Webb was outside about 1:45 p.m. in the 7800 block of South Champlain when someone got out of a dark-colored car, walked up and shot him, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Webb, who lived in the same neighborhood, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 17-year-old boy was slain and two people wounded in a Humboldt Park neighborhood shooting Thursday evening on the West Side. About 6:15 p.m., the three were standing outside in the 1100 block of North Hamlin Avenue when a dark-colored car pulled up, two people got out and started shooting, according to police. The teen, Davion Tony, was shot in the head, and died at Mount Sinai Hospital at 7 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the same neighborhood. A 24-year-old man shot in the left leg and side was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, along with a 33-year-old woman in good condition with an ankle wound, police said.
A 30-year-old man was shot to death Thursday evening in the Washington Park neighborhood on the South Side. About 6 p.m., someone got out of a vehicle in the 5100 block of South Prairie and fired shots, hitting Antonio L. Wilson in the head, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Wilson, of the Gresham neighborhood, died at the scene.
A 19-year-old man died Thursday, three days after after he and two other people were shot late Monday in the Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side. About 11:30 p.m. on Memorial Day, the group was standing on the sidewalk in the 1500 block of East 74th Street when shots rang out and the three were hit, according to police. They all showed up at Jackson Park Hospital.
Anthony D. Galvin suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was transferred to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 5:39 p.m. Thursday, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the same neighborhood as the shooting. A 20-year-old woman was shot in the right elbow and a 21-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the left shoulder, police said. Both of their conditions were stabilized at Jackson Park.
A tow truck driver was killed in a shooting Wednesday evening in the South Chicago neighborhood. Jose Antonio Jimenez, 32, was driving a 2006 Chevrolet tow truck south in the 8800 block of South Houston at 8:35 p.m. when someone fired shots in his direction, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the left side of his abdomen and drove to the 9100 block of South South Chicago, where the truck crashed through a wrought iron fence. Jimenez was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. He lived in southwest suburban Evergreen Park.
A 23-year-old man was shot to death Tuesday night on the Near West Side. Tevin M. Davis was inside a parked vehicle in the 2700 block of West Gladys about 8:30 p.m. when someone walked up and shot him in the head, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Davis, of the North Lawndale neighborhood, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A man was found shot to death Tuesday night in the Washington Heights neighborhood on the Far South Side. Officers responding to a call of a person shot at 8:26 p.m. and found 29-year-old Marcus Childs lying on the ground next to a vehicle in the 1000 block of West 103rd Street, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Childs had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. He lived in the West Englewood neighborhood.
A 37-year-old man died Tuesday of injuries suffered in a shooting last week in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Officers responded to a shooting at 1:12 p.m. on May 24 and found Antonio Larry shot multiple times inside a home in the 6000 block of South Fairfield, according to police and the medical examiner's office. Larry, who lived on the same block as the shooting, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 8:07 p.m. Tuesday, police and the medical examiner's office said.
A 21-year-old man was shot to death early Tuesday in the Washington Park neighborhood. Krystoffer Kelly was sitting in a vehicle about 2:50 a.m. in the 5700 block of South Prairie when someone fired shots, striking him multiple times, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Kelly was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:54 a.m. He lived in the Roseland neighborhood.
A teenage boy was killed and two other people wounded in a shooting Monday night in the South Side Englewood neighborhood. Jaywan Freeman, 17; another 17-year-old boy, and a 20-year-old man were standing in the street about 9:50 p.m. in the 6900 block of South Harvard when a another male walked up and opened fire, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
Freeman was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. He lived in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. The other 17-year-old was shot in the left shoulder and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said. The 20-year-old was shot in the abdomen and taken to Stroger Hospital. Both of their conditions were stabilized.

Visually challenged Jervon Morris shot to death while playing basketball in the park he loved in Longwood Manor

Jeff Mayes — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 15:59:17 -0500

Jervon Morris | Facebook

Life was never easy for Jervon Morris. The special needs student had lost most of his eyesight by age 2, and had other physical and mental impairments.

His death was not easy either. On Memorial Day, the 20-year-old lost his life to gun violence just a block from his Longwood Manor neighborhood home on the South Side.

Morris, born with born with cataracts, lost the sight in one eye at age 1, and had lost most of the sight in the other by age 2.

But he overcame that handicap in a big way, and loved to draw, play basketball and volunteer for park programs, friends and family wrote on Facebook.

"He hated when people called him blind. He could see, not as great as everyone else, but some of his shots still went in," a relative wrote.

He learned to play ball at his alma mater, Curie Metropolitan High School, using his keen hearing instead of sight. But his passion was volunteering with younger kids in Chicago Park District programs at Euclid Park, where he could be found almost every day, friends wrote on Facebook.

And he was playing ball at the park in the 9800 block of South Wallace, about a block from his home, when he was shot in the head about 5:40 p.m. Monday, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was pronounced dead the 5:58 p.m., the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy Tuesday ruled his death a homicide.

"... whenever he was around he kept me laughing he was so innocent and I just can't understand why would someone take his life ..." a friend wrote.

Police believe Morris may have been caught in the crossfire of at least two gunmen. He was not believed to have been the intended target.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.

"Although he lived day to day with these setbacks, it never stopped his true love for being a wonderful human being," the page author wrote of Morris. "Jervon Morris spent countless hours volunteering his time to the children and teenagers at Euclid Park. He was well respected and loved to bring joy to those in time of pain and need. Jervon Morris was and is an outstanding person..."

A YouCaring page has been created to help the family with funeral expenses.

"There are no words to describe how heartbroken we are over the senseless death of Jervon Morris on Memorial Day," the page author wrote. "Although we know that GOD has a reason for everything, it never feels okay to bury someone so kind and young when you know they have not yet had an opportunity to accomplish their dreams."

A post on the Curie High School website said simply: "Jervon (class of 2014) brought a gentle light to Curie that will continue to shine."

--Homicide Watch Chicago