Post by Scumhunter on Dec 12, 2015 10:59:12 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: Chicago Sun Times "Homicide Watch" website)
Block Party Turns Into Street Fight
Tonya Burch says her son, 19-year-old Deontae Smith, wasn't the type to hang out on streets and wasn't part of Chicago's gang problem. Instead, she says he worked hard at his goal of becoming an entrepreneur and business owner.
But on Aug. 1, 2009, Tonya says Deontae's friend persuaded him to venture out to an unlicensed block party nearby.
According to police, word of the impromptu party spread quickly, drawing a crowd of between 75 and 100 people. But not everyone was there to simply have a good time.
Cops say around 11:30 p.m., two girls in attendance who had a history of bad blood between them began fighting -- punching and kicking each other, and pulling one another's hair.
"The girl had jumped on the back of one of the guys' cars. The guy repeatedly kept asking her to get off the car," says Tonya. "That's what I was told."
Cops say several males at the party stepped in and before long, between 30 and 40 people were involved in a massive fight which escalated quickly into hardcore violence.
Cops say one of the males pulled out a handgun and began firing.
Deontae and his friend took off running from the scene, hoping to get away. But cops say the gunman had it out for Deontae, chasing him down and eventually shooting him once in the back. Deontae died before ambulances could arrive.
Cops say the shooter may have fled the scene shortly after the murder in a red or maroon four-door vehicle -- possibly an Oldsmobile Aurora -- but so far, cops have been unable to identify a suspect.
Stop The Silence
Part of the reason cops are stumped is because of an unofficial code of silence on the streets of Chicago -- a "stop snitching" mentality that keeps witnesses silent through intimidation and violence.
As a result, although roughly 100 people witnessed the shooting, no one has come forward to police to reveal what they saw.
But Tonya refuses to be intimidated by the silence. She's part of a group of mothers and fathers in Chicago who lost their children due to gun violence -- and she takes it upon herself to keep Deontae's murder in the spotlight.
Every two weeks, Tonya goes back to the area where her son was murdered and passes out fliers, begging people in the area to speak out about anything they may know about the crime.
At times she is met with threats and warnings to stop digging for information -- but Tonya says she can't give up looking for answers.
"I say, 'you do not intimidate me at all,’" says Tonya. "I have lost a child. The last thing you can do is intimidate me right now."
Thoughts? The above was from the AMW archives. Deontae Smith was aired twice on AMW in 2010 as part of an overall segment on "Purpose Over Pain" where parents of murdered youths in Chicago band together in an effort to keep a spotlight on their cases, and to put a stop to the street code of "Stop Snitching" to the police. The reason I'm posting this case today is there is a new article about the fact that sadly it's now been six years since Deonte's murder, and still no one is talking.
I realize there's a lot of police controversies in the news lately with the city of Chicago. And I hope justice is served if a Jury finds the Officer that shot Laquan McDonald responsible for his death. However, two wrongs don't make a right. The families of Deontae Smith and everyone else deserves justice. Anyone who has any information about his case, or any other of the Purpose over Pain cases, needs to do the right thing and come forward. There's a billboard offering information with a number at a church to call. I'll post it below. It says you can remain anonymous. So if you live in Chicago, however, you may feel about the police situation or not wanting to "snitch", you don't even need to talk to them to solve Deontae's murder.
Admin Note #1: According to a billboard offering $100,000 for information, if you have any on this case, you may call the Faith Community of Saint Sabina's Office (Chicago, Illinois) at 1-773-483-4300. According to the billboard, you can remain anonymous.
Admin Note #2: If you have any (news-related) updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
web.archive.org/web/20100903211824/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=72585#case
homicides.suntimes.com/2015/12/11/memorial-to-remember-deontae-smith-killed-in-2009-will-include-street-naming-ceremony/