Jerome T Howard

Jerome T. Howard, a 21-year-old known to friends and in the local rap community as "JMoney," was a young man connected to the South Side Chicago drill music scene. Those who knew him described him as an enforcer who was aggressive and respected, and also feared. An affiliate of the O Block faction of the Black Disciples street gang, he had ties to rappers like Chief Keef, Lil Durk, and the late King Von. His life was cut short by gun violence on Labor Day, September 2, 2013, during what would become one of the bloodiest holiday weekends in the city's history.

That morning, at about 10:05 a.m., Howard picked up a female acquaintance in his white 2007 Hyundai Sonata to help her with laundry. Another male friend was also in the car with them. After dropping the woman off, Howard and his friend waited for her to call for a ride back. During this time, the friend noticed a suspicious silver or primer-colored Chevrolet Impala with two men inside, one with long dreadlocks and a baseball cap. Later, around 2:00 p.m., Howard returned to the 6600 block of South Rhodes Avenue in the West Woodlawn neighborhood to pick up the woman.

As Howard went to the trunk of his car to help the woman with her laundry bags, the same Chevy Impala reappeared at the end of the street. While the woman went back inside her apartment to get her purse, shots rang out. A witness across the street heard the gunfire, followed by a woman screaming that her friend had been shot. The male friend in Howard's car saw him fall to the ground, then try to get up and run before being chased into a parking lot and shot again. The friend sped away from the scene in Howard's Hyundai, later stating he left to get help. When he returned, police had already cordoned off the area. The female acquaintance told investigators she heard the gunshots from inside her home and came out to find Howard on the ground, bleeding. He was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head.

The Chicago Police Department investigated the homicide, but the case was immediately complicated by street rumors and a lack of cooperating witnesses. Speculation grew that the female acquaintance had set Howard up for his rivals. A prominent theory suggested that Gakirah "KI" Barnes, a teenage girl affiliated with an opposing gang faction, was involved. Barnes, a known "female assassin" for the STL/EBT set, posted messages on her Twitter account that seemed to claim responsibility for the murder. Rumors implicated her and another individual known as "Lil B" as the shooters who targeted Howard in retaliation for a past conflict.

Despite the street talk and social media posts, no official charges have ever been filed in Jerome Howard's murder, and his case remains unsolved. The cycle of violence that claimed his life continued to spiral. In March 2014, Lil B, one of the individuals rumored to have been involved in Howard's death, was killed by law enforcement. A month later, in April 2014, Gakirah Barnes was shot and killed by rivals, closing another chapter in the ongoing gang wars.

The tragedy for Howard's family was compounded just weeks after his death. On September 19, 2013, his 3-year-old nephew, Deonta Howard, was shot in the face during a mass shooting at Cornell Square Park in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. The boy survived but required reconstructive surgery. His mother, Shamarah Leggett, who was Jerome Howard's sister, spoke about the dual trauma of losing her brother and nearly losing her son in the span of a month. The violence, she said, had her considering a move from the city to find a more peaceful environment for her children. As of the latest reports, the murder of Jerome T. Howard remains an open investigation with the Chicago Police Department.