Alandis Allison

Alandis Allison, a 16-year-old Black teenager, was a resident of Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, the same community where his life was violently taken. Remembered by those who knew him as a sweet boy, Alandis was also known by the nickname "Trey." He was a student at Paul Robeson High School. His death was a profound loss for his family, especially his father, who later channeled his immense grief into a mission to prevent other families from enduring the same pain.

On the evening of Wednesday, May 24, 2017, the sound of gunfire pierced the night in South Shore. At approximately 9:20 p.m., Chicago Police officers were dispatched to the 7700 block of South Marquette Avenue following a call about shots being fired. When they arrived, they discovered Alandis lying on the ground, having sustained at least one gunshot wound to the head. He was found just a few blocks from his own home on South Kingston Avenue. Emergency services transported him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, but his injuries were catastrophic. Doctors pronounced him dead at 10:11 p.m., less than an hour after he was found.

The night Alandis was killed was a particularly violent one in Chicago. His murder was one of several shootings involving teenagers that occurred within a four-hour period, leaving three other boys wounded in separate incidents across the city's West and South Sides. The Chicago Police Department opened a homicide investigation into Alandis's death, but authorities did not release any information regarding a possible motive or any persons of interest. The case joined the city’s grim tally of unsolved shootings.

In the wake of the tragedy, Alandis’s family was left to navigate an unimaginable loss. His father found a path through his sorrow by joining the Chicago Pilgrim Walk, an initiative created to mourn the victims of the city's gun violence and to honor the peacemakers working within the communities most impacted. During a 36-mile, three-day pilgrimage through seven Chicago neighborhoods, he shared the story of his son. He spoke of his grief and his determination to do everything in his power to prevent other parents from having to bury a child. His story moved fellow walkers, who saw not only a father's pain but also his resolve to create change.

Alandis was one of more than 500 people who lost their lives to gun violence in Chicago in 2017. His name, along with those of other young victims, became a symbol of the city's ongoing struggle. In June 2018, his name was read into the Congressional Record by U.S. Representative Robin Kelly of Illinois during a session addressing the nation's gun violence epidemic. It was a solemn recognition of a life cut short and a plea for action to save other young people from the same fate.

Years have passed since Alandis Allison was killed, but there has been no justice for him or his family. The investigation into his homicide remains open but inactive. No arrests have ever been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified by the Chicago Police Department. His case is one of many that have gone cold, leaving a family and a community with unanswered questions and the enduring pain of a future that was stolen on a spring night.