Darnelle Flowers, a 17-year-old African American male, was tragically found dead on August 19, 2018, in a field on the Far South Side of Chicago. His body was discovered alongside that of his friend, Raysuan Turner, a 16-year-old African American male. Both were students at Fenger High School. The two teenagers had been reported missing days earlier, and their bodies were found with multiple gunshot wounds.
Flowers was shot in the back of the head, the left shoulder, and the right cheek, while Turner was shot twice in his back and once in his abdomen.
The investigation revealed that the victims and their alleged killers, Kahlil Colone, 16, and Leslie Ward, 17, had known each other for years. Colone and Ward, both African American males, were charged as adults with two counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors stated that Colone and Ward lured Flowers and Turner to Golden Gate Park on August 17, 2018, with the intention of killing them. A witness reported hearing Colone and Ward planning the murders, mentioning that the victims "had money on their heads." The motive behind this statement remains unclear.
On the day of the shooting, Colone and Ward arranged to meet Flowers and Turner at the park. Two witnesses saw the suspects and the victims enter a wooded area but did not see Flowers and Turner alive again. Shortly after, the witnesses heard several gunshots. The next day, Ward allegedly gave the witnesses a bag containing a handgun and instructed them to hide it and remain silent, threatening them with death if they did not comply. The bodies of Flowers and Turner were found two days later, after Turner's mother reported him missing.
Autopsies confirmed that both victims were shot with the same gun, either a .357 or .38-caliber handgun. Colone and Ward were ordered held without bail and were due back in court for further proceedings. The case highlighted the ongoing issue of gun violence in Chicago and the devastating impact it has on the community.
