Michael R. Evans | Homicide Watch Chicago

Michael Evans strove to upgrade his life: 'When the hurdles came, he jumped,' his mother says

David Struett — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 12:41:02 -0600

Michael Evans | Facebook

By DAVID STRUETT
Homicide Watch Chicago

Before he moved back to Chicago to play semi-professional football and to marry his girlfriend, 30-year-old Michael R. Evans worked hard to succeed.

That’s what makes his untimely death to Chicago’s violence so tragic, according to his family.

“There’s so many people in different areas of the city that he touched,” Evan’s sister, Claudette Evans, said. “He’s definitely going to be missed.”

Evans, a father of one, was found lying on the ground in the early morning hours November 8, 2017.

He had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead on the scene at 2:30 a.m. in the 8100 block of South Colfax in the South Chicago neighborhood, police and the medical examiner said.

Evan’s mother and two sisters were shocked by his death. Michael was a driven young man who was never connected to the streets, according to his mother and sister.

“He was not affiliated in that street life,” his sister, Claudette Evans, said. “He wanted to better himself. Education was something he wanted to do to further his life.”

Michael Evans memorial | Facebook

Evans had attended Parkland College in Champaign and worked two jobs to get by—as a bouncer at a nightclub and as a clerk for a store.

The last time Evans talked to his mom, he was checking in on her, asking if she needed anything.

She said he was also trying to upgrade his life.

“He was my only son,” his mom said. “He tried to upgrade his life with every means necessary.”

Evans was a loyal man who visited his 8-year-old son, Michael Jr., in Champaign, “whenever his car would run,” his mom said. “He would try to visit him as much as he could so his son would know his father.”

Evans was a wide receiver for the semi-professional Chicago-based Cowboys. He played football during high school, so his girlfriend Seaniqua Flax wasn’t surprised he continued to play into adulthood.

“Football was his passion,” Claudette Evans said.

Family at Michael Evans' funeral | Facebook

“He was so dedicated to the team. He never missed practice and went to all the games. Michael even dragged me along,” Flax said laughing.

When Evans wasn’t playing sports, he could be found working on computers—his specialty. Claudette Evans described him as a “techie” who loved math and anything to do with numbers.

“He liked to fix computers. He was a hands-on man,” his sister, Shirley Watson, said. “He always wanted to break down something and build it back up. He was like that from the first time he started walking.”

Family and friends remember Michael Evans as a popular, athletic, driven man.

Evans’ mother was proud of him.

“He might have had some ups and downs, but they never did put him down,” she said. “When the hurdles came, he jumped.”

WEEK IN REVIEW: Five killed in shootings, including two 29-year-olds in Brighton Park

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 11:31:08 -0600

At least 5 people were killed by violence in Chicago the week of Nov. 6-12, including two 29-years-old shot together in the Brighton Park neighborhood and pronounced dead at the scene.

Sun-Times file photo by Ashlee Rezin

The two men Alejandro Arellano and Angel Rosario, were killed early Sunday as they were walking in the 2400 block of West 47th Place at about 1:55 a.m. An eastbound gray Toyota Corolla pulled up and a male shooter got out and opened fire, police said.

The shooter then got back inside the vehicle, which drove off heading toward Western. One man was shot in the chest and the other was shot in the head and neck, police said. The shooting was believed to be gang-related, police said.

Other homicides last week included:

A downstate man was found shot to death inside a home Wednesday afternoon in the West Side Austin neighborhood. Ramon X. Williams, 37, was found with a gunshot wound to the chest in the 900 block of North LeClaire at 1:17 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner's office. Williams, a Kankakee resident, was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:33 p.m., authorities said. An autopsy found he died of multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide.

A 30-year-old man was found shot to death early Wednesday in the South Chicago neighborhood. About 2:30 a.m., officers found Michael R. Evans lying on the ground in the 8100 block of South Colfax, according to police and the medical examiner's office. Evans had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. He lived in the South Shore neighborhood.
A man was shot to death Tuesday afternoon in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Armondo Reyes, 28, was standing near his vehicle in an alley just after 4:30 p.m. in the 3800 block of South Sacramento when someone walked up, opened fired and then drove off in a light-colored SUV, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Reyes, who lived in the neighborhood, was shot in the back and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 5:05 p.m., authorities said.

--Homicide Watch Chicago

Michael Evans found shot to death in South Chicago

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 09:49:06 -0600

A man found shot to death early Wednesday in the South Chicago neighborhood has been identified as a 30-year-old Michael R. Evans.

About 2:30 a.m., officers found Evans lying on the ground in the 8100 block of South Colfax, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Evans had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. He lived in the South Shore neighborhood.

Area South detectives are conducting a homicide investigation.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire