Yvonne Nelson was 49 when she was killed on May 20, 2016, outside a Starbucks in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. Employed as a 311 operator, she had just bought a cup of tea and was leaving the coffee shop near 35th and State Street when a stray bullet struck her; she was killed instantly. The shooting occurred just blocks from a high school and the Chicago Police headquarters.

The intended target was a rival gang member. The shooter, Javion Harris, was 15 at the time; he obtained a gun and opened fire, and Nelson was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. Harris’s case was transferred from juvenile court to adult court, and in December 2018 he was found guilty of murder and attempted murder. On June 20, 2019, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison; during sentencing two of Nelson’s sisters read impact statements and the judge commented on Harris’s decision to obtain and use the weapon.

Nelson’s family has described her as a loving aunt, sister, and daughter whose death devastated them. Does anyone have memories of Yvonne or information about that block of 35th and State Street that could shed more light on what happened?