On the evening of February 11, 2019, 24-year-old Julius James IV, a Black male, was found unresponsive on the sidewalk in the 2300 block of Clark Road in Gary, Indiana, having suffered a fatal gunshot wound to his back. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses told police a male suspect was seen running from the area, described as about 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall, wearing a hoodie and black pants with a white stripe; that person was observed getting into a vehicle and fleeing. No arrests have been announced and the Gary Metro Homicide Unit continues to seek information.

James was the great-grandson of Reverend Julius James, a pastor and civil rights activist, and his funeral was held at St. John Baptist Church where his great-grandfather once preached. Later reporting tied James, also known as Chop, to being described in court records as a revered figure within the 49th Avenue Boys; those records were raised during an unrelated 2023 trial but did not produce new leads in James’s unsolved homicide.

If anyone has information about the shooting on Clark Road or the man seen fleeing that night, please share what you know.