Samuel D. Head, 37, was shot and killed on February 25, 2017, in Chicago, Illinois. The shooting occurred at a house party in the Woodlawn area during a weekend that saw multiple shootings across the city. Samuel’s death came amid a sharp rise in homicides early that year; by late February 2017 Chicago had already surpassed 100 homicides.

The case sits against a broader backdrop described in the city at the time: increasing violence following a notable uptick in 2016, ongoing gang activity, widespread availability of firearms, and social and economic strain in neighborhoods like Woodlawn. Those factors were cited as contributing to the persistent cycle of violence that claimed Samuel’s life and affected his family and friends.

If anyone attended that house party or has information about the shooting, please share what is known.