Stephen R. Toplin, 24, was shot and killed in Chicago on September 2, 2016. His death occurred during a year of sharply elevated violence in the city, when more than 760 murders were recorded in 2016.

Toplin’s killing took place in a neighborhood already contending with escalating shootings and gang activity, amid broader strains tied to policing, poverty, and community safety. Police data places his death among the many incidents that made 2016 unusually deadly for Chicago.

This is one of numerous young lives lost that year to gun violence in the city. If anyone has information about Stephen Toplin, his last movements, or the circumstances of the shooting, please share what is known with the Chicago Police Department.