Uriel Rogers-Knox was 16 when he was shot and killed on February 8, 2022, in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago. He had moved to Chicago from Minneapolis to live with extended family. His mother, Negaya Knox, remembered him as spirited and intuitive who enjoyed water parks and barbecues.

The shooting took place in the 6200 block of South Greenwood Avenue, two blocks south of the University of Chicago. A dispute reportedly began after the mother of a baby dropped the child at the apartment of 19-year-old Sir Mario Ford, who lived across the street. The argument escalated, Ford’s sister sprayed mace on Uriel and the baby’s mother, and Ford then emerged with a revolver and fired twice, striking Uriel in the face. Uriel was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he later died.

Sir Mario Ford was charged with first-degree murder and held without bond; investigators found gunshot residue on his body. Uriel’s death happened less than an hour after another teenage boy, 15-year-old Michael Brown, was fatally shot elsewhere in the city. Does anyone have information about Uriel, his time in Woodlawn, or the events that night?