An 18-year-old man from south suburban Alsip is in critical condition after being shot while riding in a car with friends in Chicago’s Ashburn neighborhood, according to his family.
“My nephew is just a good kid and for him to go through this, it’s hard,” said the victim’s aunt, Dianne Malave.
Family members identified the shooting victim as Julian Renteria and told NBC 5 he’s currently recovering at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
“He might not be able to walk again. He might not be able to talk again,” his aunt said. “This is what those perpetrators did to him—a senseless act.”
Family and friends gathered outside the hospital holding signs and candles for him Saturday - all praying for his recovery and for justice.
“He’s a homebody,” she said. “Getting him out of the house was hard, but he wanted to enjoy the night with his girlfriend, and the worst fear came true.”
Relatives say Renteria and his girlfriend were riding in a car Saturday, Feb. 4 near 79th Street and Trumbull when they said a man in a dark-colored Charger followed them and started shooting.
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“It’s something I wish nobody else goes through in their life, and I can’t imagine how my brother feels, how his mom feels,” Malave said. “It was a nightmare.”
Police and family said Renteria, who was sitting in the back seat, was shot in the head and neck. His girlfriend, also in the back seat, was grazed in the shoulder. The driver, a 23-year-old man, sustained a gunshot wound to the leg.
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“These kids were a victim of nonsense gun violence,” a community organizer stated. “Something needs to stop, so we’re all here as a community to make our voices heard.”
While it’s unclear what led to the shooting, family members said Renteria is a good young man, who was just starting his life and didn’t deserve this.
“I pray that this doesn’t happen to anybody, but unfortunately the truth is, it’s going to happen,” she said. “It’s going to continue to happen until we do something about it.”
Chicago police are still investigating to determine the motive of the shooting. Meanwhile, community members said a $13,000 reward is being offered for anyone who can provide information leading to the gunman’s arrest and conviction.
