Shaqwon Stidhum, a 19-year-old African-American man, was killed in a brazen daytime shooting on Friday, December 9, 2016, just steps from his home in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. His life was cut short in a year that would become one of the most violent in the city's recent history, a period marked by a staggering increase in gun violence that left hundreds of families and communities shattered.
The attack occurred at approximately 3:17 p.m. on a cold December afternoon. Shaqwon was on the 5500 block of West Crystal Street, a residential block lined with brick homes and apartments on the city’s West Side. According to Chicago Police, two unidentified men emerged from an older-model car, walked up to Shaqwon, and opened fire. The shooters then got back in their vehicle and fled the scene.
Paramedics rushed Shaqwon to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. He was listed in critical condition upon arrival, but medical staff could not save him. Less than an hour after the shooting, at 4:07 p.m., Shaqwon Stidhum was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. He had lived on the 5400 block of West Crystal Street, just a short walk from where he was gunned down.
The investigation into the homicide was handled by the Chicago Police Department. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, authorities reported that no suspects were in custody, and a description of the gunmen remained limited to two men who had been in an older car. In the years that have followed, there have been no public announcements of arrests or charges in connection with Shaqwon’s murder, and the case remains unsolved.
Shaqwon’s death was part of a relentless wave of violence that plagued Chicago in 2016. The city recorded more than 760 homicides that year, a dramatic spike that drew national attention. The Austin neighborhood, where Shaqwon lived and died, was one of the communities most heavily impacted by the surge in violence. These incidents were often attributed to gang conflicts, the proliferation of illegal firearms, and deep-seated economic hardship in segregated neighborhoods.
The loss of another young life was a familiar tragedy for the city, but it was a unique and devastating blow to those who knew and loved Shaqwon. His death left an irreplaceable void in the lives of his family and friends. While details of his personal life, his work, or his studies are not widely known, his presence is still honored on online memorials where candles are lit in his name, a small but enduring testament to a life taken too soon.
As of late 2024, the case of Shaqwon Stidhum’s murder remains open and unresolved. The two men who took his life have never been brought to justice, leaving his loved ones without answers or closure. His story is a painful reminder of the many unsolved homicides in Chicago and the lasting trauma that gun violence inflicts upon the city’s communities. The Chicago Police Department continues to seek information that could lead to an arrest and conviction in this and other unsolved cases.
