Robert Yummy Sandifer was an 11-year-old boy from Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood who had a history of neglect, abuse, and time in juvenile facilities. Drawn into the Black Disciples gang, he was given a 9-millimeter pistol in late August 1994 and sent to shoot at rivals. During that incident a stray bullet fatally struck 14-year-old Shavon Dean, and a citywide search followed as police sought Robert.

On the night of August 31, 1994, members of the gang drove Robert to a railroad underpass near East 108th Street and South Dauphin Avenue. There he was ordered from the car, told to kneel, and shot twice in the back of the head. His body was found in the early hours of September 1, 1994, while police were still searching for him. Derrick and Cragg Hardaway, teenagers a few years older than Robert, were arrested and charged; authorities said they had lured him to the underpass and carried out the killing amid fears he might cooperate with police. Juries later convicted both brothers of first-degree murder, and no higher-ranking gang leaders were successfully prosecuted for ordering the killing.

Does anyone have memories of Robert, Shavon, or that neighborhood in 1994 that could help fill gaps in this story?