Morgan Brown, a 19-year-old woman from Lynwood, Illinois, tragically lost her life in a shooting incident on November 1, 2021, in Midlothian, Illinois. The incident occurred outside the SVN Bar on 147th Street during the early hours of Halloween weekend. According to police reports, Morgan Brown was found lying in the street on Kilpatrick Avenue with gunshot wounds. She was immediately transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead.
Another woman was also injured in the shooting, sustaining gunshot wounds to her arm and leg. The police indicated that all individuals involved in the incident had been at the bar, and there was no ongoing threat to the community.
The investigation into Morgan Brown's death led to the identification and arrest of Jamil Hayes, a 25-year-old man from Chicago. Hayes was charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. The charges stemmed from a verbal altercation that escalated into violence outside the SVN Bar on October 31, 2021. Hayes reportedly became angry during the argument, pistol-whipped one of the women, and then shot both victims. After the shooting, Hayes fled the scene in a gray Nissan Altima. Despite initial difficulties in locating him, Hayes was eventually apprehended by the FBI Fugitive Task Force and Midlothian detectives in March 2022.
The arrest of Jamil Hayes brought some relief to Morgan Brown's family, who had been actively seeking justice for her death. The family had offered a reward for information leading to Hayes' arrest, and the FBI also contributed to the reward fund. Morgan Brown's father, David Brown, described her as a beautiful, happy, and easygoing young woman who had recently graduated from cosmetology school and was beginning her career as a hairstylist and entrepreneur. The loss of Morgan Brown has been a devastating blow to her family, who continue to mourn her untimely death and seek closure through the legal proceedings against Hayes.
