Daryl B. Curry, 55, was beaten to death in the 1200 block of South Keeler Avenue in North Lawndale, on Chicago's West Side, on the night of Tuesday, July 7, 2026. He lived in the 5400 block of West Haddon Avenue. The Chicago Police Department investigated his death.
Officers responded to a call in the 1200 block of South Keeler at 8:35 p.m. and found Curry severely beaten, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died. Two witnesses told police that Curry had been beaten by two people, who then fled west. An autopsy found he died of multiple blunt force injuries from an assault, and the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled his death a homicide.
Police said no one was in custody. Beyond the witnesses' account of two attackers running west, no description of the suspects, their clothing or a vehicle was released, and no motive was given.
No reward announcement or follow-up story about the case could be found.
Little about Curry's life has been made public. No news story described his family or work, and no obituary or fundraiser tied to his death could be found for this account. In a public social media post after his death, one person wrote, "He most definitely didn't deserve that R.i.p Daryl Curry i pray they catch whoever did this." He surely had relatives and friends who remember him and who are still waiting for answers.
Several things stand out. Curry did not live on the block where he was attacked; his home on West Haddon Avenue was a few miles away, so someone may know why he was in North Lawndale that evening. The attack also happened at about 8:30 p.m. on a July night, when daylight lingers and people are often outside on porches and sidewalks.
North Lawndale is a West Side neighborhood of greystones, two-flats and vacant lots, with a long history that includes Martin Luther King Jr.'s stay there in 1966. South Keeler Avenue near Roosevelt Road is a residential street where neighbors know each other by sight, and some of them may have seen two people running west from the scene.
Daryl's death came as Chicago's violence continued to fall. The city recorded 416 homicides in 2025, the fewest in about 60 years, after about 590 in 2024 and about 800 in 2021, the deadliest year in a quarter century. Chicago police reported clearing 56 percent of homicides in 2024, though that figure counts cases closed without charges, which means many families are still waiting for an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Daryl B. Curry could be found in news archives or public records. Months later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who saw the two attackers on South Keeler Avenue, or who knows why Daryl Curry was there that night, may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the area or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Chicago Police Department's anonymous tip line at (833) 408-0069 or submit a tip online at CPDTIP.com, or contact Cook County Crime Stoppers at (800) 535-STOP (7867).
