Deshawnay Yoakum, an 18-year-old senior at Englewood High School, was shot in the 4500 block of South Drexel Boulevard in the Bronzeville neighborhood on March 1, 2023. She was 17 at the time of the shooting and spent several days in the hospital before dying of her injuries on March 11, 2023. Yoakum was active in her community and had performed in the Bud Billiken Parade for six years; she was planning for prom and graduation when she was wounded.

Her family described the loss as devastating, and her mother publicly pleaded for answers and for anyone with information to come forward. No arrests were reported initially; later investigations produced charges against a suspect, Steven Goodman, 37, who was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Yoakum’s death. A further tragedy followed months later when Yoakum’s boyfriend, Tyshon Johnson, was killed in a separate shooting while trying to break up a fight in the Washington Park area.

If anyone knew Deshawnay, her movements that day, or has information about the events on South Drexel Boulevard, please share what you know.