Community Corner
Justin Murray’s Funeral Set for Saturday
Services will be held Saturday for Justin Murray, a 19-year-old Evanston man who was shot and killed Thursday, Nov. 29. Police are still searching for suspects in the homicide.
Funeral services will be held this weekend for Justin Murray, a 19-year-old Evanston man who was shot and killed last Thursday.
A wake is scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at Faith Temple Church of God in Christ, 1932 Dewey Ave. in Evanston, according to a representative of the church. Funeral services begin at 11 a.m.
Murray died in front of his grandmother’s home at 1818 Brown Ave. on Thursday, Nov. 29, after someone fired several shots from between two houses nearby. As of Tuesday evening, police were still investigating the shooting and had not taken anyone into custody.
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Evanston police believe the homicide was not a random incident, according to Cmdr. Jason Parrott, and that it may have been gang-related. Parrott said there are no indications that Murray himself was in a gang.
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Reached on Friday, Justin Murray’s mother, Carolyn Murray, He graduated from Evanston Township High School in 2011, then moved to San Diego, where he was working part-time and attending school. He had just flown home to Evanston on Thursday to visit with friends and family, she said.
Justin Murray went to Oakton School and then King Lab, according to his mother. He was “very athletic,” enjoyed working out, and played football for the WildKits during his freshman year at Evanston Township High School. Later, he played basketball in a community league.
Before her son died, Carolyn Murray was working to organize a gun buyback program to get guns off the streets in Evanston. After 14-year-old Dajae Coleman was fatally shot in late September, Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl and the city council got behind her idea. A gun buyback is now scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Christ Temple Missionary Baptist Church, 1711 Simpson St.
Murray said hopes her son’s death will bring more attention to the gun buyback program, which she plans to attend.
“He had so much life inside of him,” she said. “He just wanted to live.”
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