Man trying to turn his life around shot and killed by neighbor over 'dog pee argument'
Although law enforcement in Chicago is trying its best to curb crime in volatile communities, many residents are afraid that the violence is not going to stop even after the deployment of more officers. Last weekend, over something as trivial as a dog peeing on someone else's property, a man was shot and killed, according to reports.
On August 3, law enforcement authorities received calls about a fatal shooting that took place at around 8.45 pm in the 7700 block of South Shore wherein a victim was fatally injured in the left arm and chest, and subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. The incident brings forth the sad reality of how quickly events as trivial as this can transpire into a bloody example of gun violence.
After Earl Young lost his life over the weekend, neighbors found it hard to digest the news of his death, reported CBS 2's Charlie De Mar. They revealed that things were looking bright for Young and he was about to marry his fiancé when this happened. It was difficult for them to wrap their heads around the fact that Young lost his life over a petty argument over his dogs.
Darnell Payne, the Dean of Sullivan House alternative school who is also a pastor, has opened his home to many young men in distress. “We get the ones CPS no longer wants,” Payne said. “They are just little boys. Hurt people hurt people.” He had taken in 30-year-old Earl Young, who had had a tumultuous life before, and turned him around for a better future. Payne said that Young was an amazing basketball player, father, and a great husband in the making.
“Puppies. I have to smile because I’m so close to crying,” Payne said. The argument took place after Young's two puppies relieved themselves on the porch of his Southshore home, Payne said. “The puppies were peeing on the porch. The pee ran down the porch to the neighbor’s,” he explained.
Young exchanged a few heated words with the neighbor before being shot and killed, police say. “How are we so petty now that we live in a world that you could lose your life over puppy pee?” questioned Payne. The incident certainly did touch a lot of neighbors and residents as many across Chicago released balloons in Young's memory. That said, Payne knows where to start the transformation, although he admittedly does not have all of the answers, he says.
“I’m upset everyone is making this so political, but it’s so simple and that’s actually caring about where these kids are and what they are doing,” he said. Several residents are looking to Payne for comfort and a proper send-off for the deceased this weekend. However, he is in pain himself over the unnecessary killing of one of his own foster children.
“I have to stand before 3,400 people Saturday and make them think everything is going to be okay when I’m not sure that everything is going to be okay,” Payne said.