Emmanuel Fleming, a 34-year-old African American male, was tragically gunned down on August 13, 2017, outside the Friendship Baptist Church in the Austin community of Chicago, IL. Fleming was a witness to a fatal shooting that occurred in July 2016, where he was wounded and another man, Artivis Gladney, 18, was killed. The suspect in the 2016 shooting, a reputed gang member, had been released on bail multiple times before the trial could take place.
On the morning of August 13, 2017,
Fleming and Michael Swift, a 46-year-old African American male, were fatally shot by two gunmen wearing bandanas across their faces. The shooting occurred as Fleming was about to enter the church with his children and Swift. Witnesses reported that Fleming cried out for his children to take cover inside the church as the gunmen opened fire. Both men tried to take cover behind a nearby retaining wall but were ultimately killed.
Chicago police are investigating the possibility that Fleming was killed to silence him as a witness in the 2016 shooting. Detectives are working to establish a potential motive, but no definitive link between the two shootings has been made. The Cook County state's attorney's office has declined to comment on the pending case.
Fleming's death has raised concerns about the safety of witnesses in criminal cases and the challenges faced by law enforcement in protecting them. The investigation into his murder is ongoing, and authorities are exploring various theories to determine the motive behind the shooting.
