Blood on South Marshfield: A Morning That Stole Two Young Lives

The quiet of Auburn Gresham was shattered before dawn on Wednesday. It was the kind of morning when the city still sleeps — when dreams should’ve been the only thing breaking the silence. But at a multi-unit building on the 8100 block of South Marshfield Avenue, the sound of gunfire ripped through the walls and through hearts.

When officers arrived, they were met not with words, but with the kind of silence that follows tragedy. Inside, a 16-year-old boy lay lifeless on a second-floor back porch, a victim of multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Not far away, a 17-year-old boy — barely old enough to dream of tomorrow — was found in the hallway, struck in both the head and chest. Both teens were pronounced dead at the scene.

#RIP #Doe #DJ #Stewie — three names that once echoed with laughter now whispered in grief across social media, carried by friends who can’t believe they’re gone.

A 13-Year-Old’s Eyes, a City’s Cry

In one of the bedrooms, police found a 21-year-old man hiding under a bed, bleeding from a gunshot wound to his arm. He was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and is expected to survive. But survival doesn’t always mean peace. A 13-year-old boy, unharmed but trembling, was also found inside the apartment — a silent witness to the chaos that stole his friends and shattered his sense of safety.

Neighbors described the terrifying moments when the shots rang out. “I just grabbed my babies and prayed,” one woman said, her voice breaking. “It felt like it would never stop.” By the time the gunfire ceased, the neighborhood was awake — not to an alarm clock, but to heartbreak.

Shell Casings and Empty Promises

Detectives combed the building, gathering shell casings and fragments of evidence scattered like broken pieces of young lives. Three men were seen fleeing the area moments after the shooting, but as of now, no one is in custody. Area Two detectives continue their investigation, chasing shadows in a city too used to losing its sons to bullets.

Another sunrise has come and gone in Auburn Gresham, but for two families, the light feels dimmer now. They will bury their boys — 16 and 17 — instead of watching them grow. And Chicago, once again, mourns its future.