Emmanuel Bass, a 35-year-old African-American man, was a father, a fiancé, and a lifelong resident of Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Known to friends as "Face," a nickname he acquired after surviving a gunshot wound to his face five years earlier, he was remembered by his sister as a lively and kind soul who would help anyone. The second youngest of nine children, Emmanuel sang and rapped and did not let his past injuries get in his way. He was engaged to be married and had a one-year-old daughter, Emma.
On the night of Friday, September 6, 2013, Emmanuel was in the park in the 1400 block of North Damen Avenue. At about 11:34 p.m., gunfire erupted, and he was shot in the leg. A second man, aged 29, was also wounded in the shooting. Emmanuel was rushed to Stroger Hospital for treatment.
Though the wound was to his leg, the bullet had struck an artery. The resulting excessive bleeding caused catastrophic damage to his liver and kidneys.
For nearly a week, Emmanuel remained in the hospital, connected to tubes. He succumbed to his injuries at 8:59 a.m. on Wednesday, September 11, 2013, at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
In the days following the shooting, police began their investigation while Emmanuel's family prayed that the person responsible would turn themselves in. At a community meeting later that month, a police commander explained that the shooting was not considered a "gang matter," but that two groups with gang ties had met at the park, which they considered neutral ground, to resolve a disagreement. According to police, a misunderstanding during the meeting led to the shooting. In response to the violence, officials planned to install a new security camera to monitor the park.
As of September 2013, no arrests had been made in connection with the shooting. The homicide of Emmanuel Bass remains unsolved.
