On July 5, 2019, in Chicago's Fuller Park, Akeelah Addison, a 22 year old African American woman, was shot and killed in the predawn hours on the 4200 block of South Wells Street.
Police said she was dancing in the street around 2:55 to 3 a.m., amongst many others still celebrating the July 4th holiday, when a male produced a handgun and opened fire.
She was struck in the head and pronounced dead at the scene; the medical examiner later ruled her death a homicide.
Family members described Akeelah as loving and ambitious.
In the days before the shooting, her mother remembered a tender exchange and said her oldest child had been out celebrating the Fourth of July.
Relatives said she had returned to Chicago from Peoria with plans to open a salon, a small dream she was beginning to build before it was abruptly cut short.
The loss came just a week after another family tragedy: Akeelah Addison was the niece of Felon Smith, who was fatally struck by a CTA Red Line train while attempting to retrieve a dropped phone.
In the aftermath, relatives planned a joint service for both women at New Nazareth Missionary Baptist Church on July 12, and records noted that Akeelah Addison lived in the Marquette Park neighborhood.
Detectives opened a homicide investigation immediately. The suspect was described only as a male, and authorities said they were searching for the shooter; no arrest was announced in the initial reporting, and investigators in Area Central continued to handle the case.
As of September 2025 there have been no arrests made or suspects announced in the senseless killing of Akeelah Addison, who was simply dancing in the street with others in celebration of another year of our countries freedom.
