Christ the King Jesuit College Prep student Damarion Johnson and Uber driver killed in East Garfield Park shooting
A student at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep and a rideshare driver were killed in a shooting on Thursday night in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.
Police said two men were driving in a white car in the 200 block of North Homan Avenue shortly before 8:30 p.m. when a gray SUV pulled up alongside them and someone inside opened fire.
A 38-year-old man was struck in the arm and taken to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. An 18-year-old boy was struck multiple times in the body and taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was also pronounced dead, according to police.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified the teen as Damarion Johnson of Chicago. The other man killed has not been identified, but he was a rideshare driver working for Uber, who told CBS News Chicago in a statement, "There are no words to describe this tragic loss of life, and our thoughts are with the victims' loved ones during this difficult time. We're doing everything we can to support police during their investigation, and we hope those responsible are brought to swift justice."
Johnson was a senior at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep in the Austin neighborhood.
The school released a statement, saying in part, "Earlier today we were made aware of the tragic death of one of our students. Our entire Christ the King school family is grieving this senseless loss."
They said their counseling team is available to all students and staff who need to talk to someone in the wake of the shooting.
Those who knew Johnson said he had a bright personality and was a talented basketball player, and they have been left to grapple with this sudden and difficult loss.
"This is rough for all of us, for sure. We're definitely going to miss his energy in the room," said McKinley Nelson, the founder of Project sWISH, an organization providing basketball programming for Chicago youth to promote anti-violence initiatives.
Johnson – who also went by DJ – was an avid participant in the program. The group paid tribute to him with a video on Instagram.
"Super bright kid, super athletic kid, super competitive kid; he loved the game of basketball," Nelson said.
Johnson was taking an Uber home after playing basketball on Thursday when the shooting happened, according to Nelson.
Johnson's death is especially difficult after Project sWISH lost another participant to gun violence in November, when 14-year-old Armani Floyd was shot and killed in the Loop
"I try not to let it deflate me, because it can be definitely a deflating feeling losing kids to the exact cause that you started the program for. But we know we got, you know, many more kids to protect," Nelson said.
Nelson said Johnson had offers to play basketball in college that he was considering. Nelson was left lamenting that Johnson won't see those opportunities come to fruition.
"I hate that he was robbed of that. I hate that he was robbed of graduation, you know, so there's definitely some pain in all of that for everybody on our team, but also everybody that he cared about," Nelson said.
Police have not released information on a potential motive in the shooting and they have not announced any arrests. Area Four detectives are investigating.