A South Side pastor put his Walk Across America on hold Monday to preside over a funeral of a teenager who was gunned down earlier this month.
Corey Brooks, known for his time camping out on a motel roof to raise awareness about Chicago violence, returned home for the funeral of 19-year-old Tony Dunn, shot and killed on the 6300 block of South King Drive.
Dunn died Aug. 9 of a gunshot wound to the back. Officers on patrol said they saw a man shoot Dunn, and when they approached, the suspected gunman started shooting at them. The suspect later was arrested and charged.
Brooks oversaw Dunn's services beginning at 10 a.m. at New Beginnings Church of Chicago.
"I'm here because at the end of the day, I care what happens in the hood. I don't know about nobody else, but I love the hood. I love the hood," Brooks said near the start of the service. "I got enough money, I could live out in the suburbs if I wanted to. I could drive me a fly Benz if I wanted to, but I choose to live in this neighborhood. I live in this neighborhood."
Brooks started his walk in June in New York and trekked through Chicago in July with donations totaling $50,000 for his Project H.O.O.D. initiative to build a community center on Chicago’s South Side and to quell gun violence nationwide.
Brooks tweeted that he'll resume his walk Tuesday in Oklahoma. He still hopes to reach Los Angeles in October.
Over the weekend, six people were killed and 36 injured in shootings across Chicago.
