Steve Sanders, a 23-year-old African American man from Kankakee, Illinois, was shot dead in an alley in the 500 block of East Bourbonnais Street on May 30, 2017. A forensic pathologist testified that Sanders died of multiple gunshot wounds.

The shooter, 25-year-old Devon Johnson, told the court he fired because he believed Sanders was reaching for a gun and claimed self-defense. At trial the jury rejected that justification and convicted Johnson of second-degree murder. The record states the court found his actions were not legally justified.

Multiple witnesses and forensic experts testified during the proceedings. In August 2022 Johnson was sentenced to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for Sanders’s murder.

If anyone knew Sanders or saw activity in the 500 block of East Bourbonnais Street around May 30, 2017, please share what you remember.