Shaquille Dirkans, a 23-year-old African American male, was found dead in a white Mercedes sedan on the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago, Illinois, on the night of July 27, 2018. The vehicle was discovered in the northbound lanes between the Stevenson Expressway and 31st Street around 11:50 p.m. Dirkans appeared to have crashed against the concrete wall of the far right lane of the overpass.
An autopsy conducted the following day determined that Dirkans died from a gunshot wound to the neck, and his death was ruled a homicide. The investigation into his death was ongoing, with authorities urging anyone with information to come forward.
In December 2018, Deonte Young, a 26-year-old African American male, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Dirkans' death. According to Cook County prosecutors, Young and Dirkans were backseat passengers in the white Mercedes on the night of the incident. Young, who was reportedly distraught over the death of a friend six years earlier, pointed a gun at Dirkans without provocation and pulled the trigger, striking Dirkans in the neck. The front-seat passenger wrestled the gun from Young's hand after the shot, and Young bit the passenger near his left eye during the struggle. Young then attempted to climb into the front seat to attack the driver, causing the vehicle to come to a stop on the expressway near 25th Street.
Following the shooting, Young chased the driver from the vehicle while the front-seat passenger also fled and discarded the gun over the side of the I-55 on-ramp. State troopers found Young lying in a grassy area about three blocks away with blood on his clothes. Dirkans was found dead in the back seat of the Mercedes. State police recovered the handgun near the expressway, and a spent shell casing from inside the Mercedes was matched to the weapon through forensic testing. The driver and front-seat passenger both identified Young as the only person holding a gun when Dirkans was shot. Young was also charged with unlawful use of a weapon and resisting a police officer.
Young was ordered held without bail by a Cook County judge, and his next court date was set for December 27, 2018. The case highlighted the tragic consequences of unresolved grief and the impact of gun violence on the community. The investigation into Dirkans' death continued, with authorities seeking any additional information that could aid in the prosecution of the case.
