A 21-year-old man was shot dead late Tuesday night, just blocks away from Evanston Township High School in the northern suburb.
Cardereon Preister was found lying face down in the street with a gunshot to his back on the 1700 block of Leland Avenue, officials said. He was taken to Evanston Hospital and pronounced dead at 11:25 p.m.
"He always had a smile. He was a good kid, a really fun person to be around," Preister's cousin, Shaquill Green, said through tears.
Green said his cousin, who went to the high school near where he was slain, was the father of a newborn girl and had another child on the way.
"He was going to be the main man in his daughter's life," he said, adding that his cousin had no gang ties and that he wasn't aware of any recent disputes.
Police said they believe Preister was the intended target in the shooting, which happened just after 11 p.m.
Leland Street from Church to Lyons street remained closed off early Wednesdsay as police patrolled the streets and talked with those who live in the area.
No one was in custody as of 8:15 a.m.
Shootings are fairly uncommon in Evanston. In July, two brothers were found dead in the basement of a tobacco shot. The deaths of Azeem Hakeem and Mubeen Hakeem were classified as homicides.
