Adama Moye

Adama Moye, a 22-year-old aspiring chef and the son of a world-renowned musician, was remembered as a kind-hearted and ambitious young man. Known to his father as “Bongo,” Adama grew up in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. His father is Famoudou Don Moye, the famed percussionist for the Art Ensemble of Chicago, an avant-garde jazz quintet. A photograph from Adama’s childhood captured him as a small boy in a romper, dancing with joy as his smiling father played African drums. Adama attended St. Thomas the Apostle School and later Hales Franciscan High School, where he graduated in 2012 and played on the varsity baseball team as a left-handed pitcher, outfielder, and first baseman. Friends and former teachers recalled him as a non-judgmental and loving person. His youth soccer coach, Bennie Currie, remembered him as one of his "soccer kids" and was devastated by the news of his death.

In the fall of 2016, Adama was studying to become a chef. He had plans to join his father, who was living in Marseille, France, after he completed his culinary studies. He was looking forward to a future that combined his passion for food with the opportunity to be with family abroad. Those who knew him saw a life full of promise and talent, a young man who was outgoing and a great listener. He lived in the 4900 block of South Dorchester Avenue, not far from where he grew up.

On the night of Saturday, November 5, 2016, Adama was sitting in his parked car in the Longwood Manor neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. At about 10 p.m., while he was waiting for a friend in the first block of West 98th Street, a dark-colored vehicle pulled up alongside his car. Someone inside the other vehicle opened fire, striking Adama in the chest. The shooting was one of several that occurred during an unseasonably mild weekend in the city.

First responders rushed Adama to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. He was in critical condition upon arrival, and despite the efforts of medical staff, he was pronounced dead at 10:41 p.m. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed his cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest. Adama Moye was one of at least nine people killed by gun violence in Chicago that weekend.

The Chicago Police Department launched a homicide investigation into the drive-by shooting. Detectives from Area Central were assigned to the case. In the immediate aftermath, police reported that no suspects were in custody, and they had limited information about the shooter or the dark vehicle that fled the scene. The seemingly random nature of the attack left family and community members grappling with shock and anger. "There is no hope when you don’t even see it coming, and you aren’t doing anything but driving or sitting in a parked car,” his former coach Bennie Currie said.

News of Adama’s death rippled through the communities that knew him and his celebrated father, prompting an outpouring of grief and condolences on social media. A former teacher, Sister Julia Walsh, asked for prayers for his friends and family. A friend from Hales Franciscan described him as his best friend and “one of the most kind hearted, non judgmental people I ever met.” His father’s colleagues and fans in the international music community were shocked to learn that the violence in Chicago had claimed the life of someone so close to them.

As of the latest available reports, the murder of Adama Moye remains unsolved. No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in connection with his death. His case is one of many unsolved homicides from a year that saw a significant spike in violence in Chicago. The investigation remains open, and authorities have not released any new information. The family has not announced any reward, and no specific tip line has been publicized for his case.