Friends and family gathered Sunday to mourn for the loss of a former aldermanic candidate on the city’s South Side, and to plead with the community for answers in the death of 39-year-old Alberto Bocanegra.
Bocanegra was driving on Sept. 25 when he saw a cyclist, who was taking part in a group ride in the city’s Chatham neighborhood, get struck by another vehicle. Bocanegra then chased down that car, and was ultimately shot to death during the ensuing confrontation.
Now, family members are upping a reward for information into his slaying to $10,000, and are asking the community for help in identifying the shooter.
During the confrontation, Bocanegra chased the vehicle to the intersection of 76th and Champlain. A verbal altercation then ensued, and another vehicle soon pulled up. That’s when police say someone got out of an SUV and opened fire, striking Bocanegra twice. He later died from his injuries.
Bocanegra had recently battled leukemia and bone cancer, and had gone into remission just two months before he was shot to death.
Police have not identified any suspects, and their investigation remains ongoing.
The family is seeking donations through a GoFundMe page to help pay for a Catholic mass in Bocanegra's honor, and for his ashes to be transported back to Mexico for burial.
