Mitchell Barber, a 27-year-old African American man from Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, was shot and killed on November 4, 2020. According to the medical examiner, he died of a gunshot wound to the head after being struck during an exchange at his home on West Superior Street. The shooting occurred around 11:20 a.m.; Mitchell managed to stumble inside, make his way to the second floor, and then collapsed. He was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A witness parked nearby reported seeing a man in a red hooded sweatshirt fleeing the scene immediately after the gunfire. That man was identified as 26-year-old Denzel Ollison, who lived a few doors from Barber and had been friends with him since childhood. Ollison was arrested later that day and charged with first-degree murder; he was held without bail after a court hearing. Investigators recovered a 9mm shell casing at the scene and prosecutors noted toxicology showed only marijuana and alcohol in Ollison’s system.

Mitchell is remembered by family and neighbors as hardworking, sweet, and kind. The case combines a close personal history between the two men with questions about mental health and what led to the shooting. If anyone knew Mitchell, Denzel, or was in that block of West Superior Street on November 4, 2020, please share what might help the ongoing inquiries.