Shaquon J. Thomas, known as Young Pappy, was a 20-year-old aspiring rapper from Chicago who was fatally shot on May 29, 2015, in the Uptown neighborhood on the 4800 block of North Kenmore Avenue. Accounts say he was struck in what appeared to be a targeted attack. Those close to him dispute that his death was simply gang-related, suggesting jealousy over his rising music career may have been a motive.

Thomas had a history of legal trouble dating back to his early teens, including multiple misdemeanors and one felony. His mother, Ingrid Thomas, said the cycle of release and rearrest pushed him deeper into street life even as he pursued a music career. Performing as Young Pappy, he released tracks such as Killa, Shooters, and Homicide that drew hundreds of thousands of online views and increased his public profile.

Friends and family remember him as a young man who hoped music could be his way out, even as his lyrics and growing notoriety brought confrontations and intensified police attention; police raided a mixtape release party weeks before his death. Does anyone who knew Shaquon or was in Uptown that week have information that could clarify what happened?