Telkia Burns was 33 when he was killed on August 25, 2013, in the South Chicago neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. A Navy veteran and a student at Chicago State University preparing for his final year in community health, Burns was shot in the right temple during a robbery at his apartment building on a Sunday afternoon. The assailant took Burns’ money and house keys and fled.

An 18-year-old, Devon Brunt, was taken into custody shortly after the incident and was later charged with first-degree murder; police said the robbery turned fatal after Burns resisted when the attacker went through his pockets. Burns had recently visited his oldest son in Indiana and was remembered for his love of cooking, dedication to family, military service, and educational goals. His mother, Katherine Burns, spoke of her grief and also of forgiveness while urging healing.