CHICAGO — 28-year-old Antonio Perkins was hanging out with friends he hadn’t seen in a while Wednesday night in North Lawndale. Two of his three young children joined him to enjoy the warm weather.
The sun was just setting around 8:45 p.m. as Tony recorded himself and his friends on Facebook Live. He wasn’t saying much. Then, a sudden blast of gunfire. Tony fell on the grass after two shots. A flurry of up to ten shots followed.
He was pronounced dead at 9:07 p.m. from gunshot wounds to his head and neck.
Chicago police say the shooting was gang-related, but friends and Perkins’ father say that was in his past.
“A lot of people loved my son; he was a good person,” said his father Daniel Cole.
Perkins had just been promoted at McDonald’s. He worked almost every day and Wednesday night was a rare night out. His friends say he was not the target and not a gangbanger.
“Stop judging everybody. Stop judging us like that. His life really did matter,” said Tiffany, a friend of the victim.
To make matters worse for this family, Antonio Perkins’ brother was also shot to death several years ago.
Chicago police don’t have a suspect in custody right now, but detectives are looking at the video, hoping it leads them to the killer or killers.