DaShawn Martin was a 15-year-old African American male who was fatally shot on June 27, 2017, in the backyard of a home in the 1000 block of West 103rd Place on Chicago’s Far South Side. Reports say he was shot multiple times; his funeral was held July 1, 2017, at Prayer and Faith Outreach Ministries. The circumstances of the shooting were described as unclear and the investigation initially faced a lack of witnesses willing to come forward.

Investigators pursued leads over the following years and identified suspects. One person named in charging documents was William Dashawn Strickland, who was charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and solicitation of murder in connection with Martin’s death; a co-defendant was also mentioned. Court proceedings and appeals were part of the case history.