A prominent Chicago pastor and community activist expressed anguish on Saturday after his teenage grandson was shot and killed one day prior.
Rev. Robin Hood, of Redeemed Outreach Ministry, said his grandson Rashaun Hood was shot and killed at around 10:15 p.m. Friday near 81st and Elizabeth Street.
Hood explained that both he and his family were feeling hurt.
“He’s a good kid. I don’t think anybody could say anything bad about him,” the reverend said. “We called him 'tiny man' because he was short in statue and ever since he was a little boy, he was just this tiny kid that could talk.”
Hood said his grandson, who meant the world to him, loved playing basketball and would have turned 17 in November. The 16-year-old was also his father's only son.
“He’s going to feel that, his mother is going to feel that,” Hood told NBC Chicago. “I’m just going to miss him.”
Family said the teen was out with two friends Friday night in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood when someone fired shots and Rashaun was shot in the chest. He was taken to the hospital where he died.
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“I don’t know what happened,” the faith leader said. “All I know is that he was shot and killed on the streets of Chicago, and that’s totally unacceptable.”
Investigators spent hours processing the crime scene following the shooting. Video from the scene shows investigators looking for evidence in the grass.
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“We need to bring his killers to justice,” the reverend said. “We can’t just allow this to happen.”
Hood, who has been working for years to stop the violence and mentor young teens, never imagined it would hit this close to home.
“If they shoot my grandson, guess who got next—your child, your daughter, your son, your grandson,” he said. “So we have to stand up as a community.”
So far this year, Chicago police said there have been more than 1,300 shootings reported across the city. While police said the numbers are down compared to this time last year, one shooting is still one too many for Hood, who’s now left planning his grandson’s funeral.
“Our society as a whole, our country as whole, if we don’t get a handle on this gun violence,” he said. “All of our kids are going to end up shot and dead.”
Police are still investigating the motive of the shooting. The reverend is pleading for any witnesses, who may have seen or heard anything, to come forward with information.
