Willie Cooper, a 58-year-old African American community leader, was killed on July 15, 2017, on Chicago’s Far South Side. Cooper led Lilydale Outreach Workers for a Better Community, a nonprofit that worked to get South Side teens jobs and reduce violence. He was walking near the organization’s office around 4:15 p.m. when someone in a dark-colored vehicle shot him in the mouth and back; an AR-15 was reported to have been used. Cooper died at the scene.

No suspects were immediately apprehended and there were no arrests reported in the immediate aftermath. Family members remembered Cooper for his work helping ex-offenders find employment and for his community activism. The shooting happened near a liquor store that had been the site of several prior shootings, and the lack of an immediate arrest left many questions for residents.

If anyone knew Willie Cooper or has information about the attack, please share what you know with investigators.