Vigil honors 18-year-old basketball player shot to death during Uber ride in Garfield Park

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Loved ones gathered Saturday to remember a high school basketball player killed while riding in an Uber on the city's West Side.

Damarion Johnson, 18, and the 38-year-old Uber driver were shot and killed Thursday night in Chicago's Garfield Park neighborhood.

Johnson spent years with Project sWISH Chicago, a basketball program for inner city youth. He's now the second teenager with the group killed by gun violence since November.

Members of that program gathered Saturday in Homan Square Park to remember one of their own with a balloon release and vigil.

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The tragic double shooting happened just days before Johnson was supposed to commit to a college with a full-ride scholarship to play basketball. In fact, his final moments alive were spent doing what he loved.

Exclusive video obtained by ABC7 showed how that deadly drive-by unfolded as the 18-year-old was in an Uber ride, headed home from the basketball gym.

Police said the shooting happened in the 200-block of North Homan Avenue just before 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

The victims were traveling southbound in a white sedan when a grey SUV pulled up alongside them, police said. A male suspect inside the SUV took out a gun and fired shots.

The 38-year-old, shot in the arm, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, CPD said. The 18-year-old, shot in the body, was transported to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Johnson's dreams and aspirations were fueled by basketball, until gunfire tore them away.

"He just kept saying he wanted to make it out," Project sWISH Chicago founder McKinley Nelson said. "He was just robbed of so many things. And I feel like he was on his way to making it out... He got an opportunity to go to college for free, right, from multiple places. So he was just weighing his options on what decision was best fit for him, and before he could announce that decision, his life was cut short."

SEE ALSO | Project sWish Chicago hosts '29 Hours of Peace'

Johnson was in the backseat of an Uber ride when exclusive video obtained by ABC7 showed a gray SUV driving beside it at Homan and Lake in Garfield Park. Someone then leaned out the back window.

ABC7 reached to Uber for comment about one of their rideshare drivers being killed in the shooting, and an Uber spokesperson provided the foillowing statement:
"There are no words to describe this tragic loss of life, and our thoughts are with the victims' loved ones during this difficult time. We're doing everything we can to support police during their investigation, and we hope those responsible are brought to swift justice."

The 38-year-old victim has not yet been officially identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

As for Johnson, he spent years playing basketball with Project sWISH Chicago, a basketball program for inner city youth.

"He wasn't just one of many kids that we've seen come in and out of the program," Nelson said. "He was a real little brother to me, and I really had true love for him."

The senior student was also a recent transfer at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep in the Austin neighborhood.

"Earlier today we were made aware of the tragic death of one of our students. Our entire Christ the King school family is grieving this senseless loss," the school said in a statement. "During this incredibly difficult time, our priority is supporting our students and staff as we process this tragedy. Dealing with death is never easy, and it is especially challenging when it involves a young person with a promising future. Our counseling team is available for any student or staff member who needs a safe space to talk. Please keep this student, his family, and our entire school community in your thoughts and prayers."

Police did not immediately provide further information about the shooting. Area Four detectives are investigating.

While police have made no arrests, Uber says it is working closely with law enforcement. Grief counselors are available at Johnson's high school.

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