On the morning of December 13, 2015, 26-year-old Andre D. Donner Jr., an African American male, was fatally shot in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. At approximately 10 a.m., officers discovered him with a gunshot wound to the head in the 7200 block of South May Street. Donner was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. He resided in the 7000 block of South Lowe Avenue.
Following the incident, 19-year-old Demarco Bennett, also an African American male, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. According to prosecutors, Donner was standing alone at the corner of 72nd and May when Bennett exited a silver vehicle and shot him multiple times, including twice in the head, once in the neck, and eight times in the body. Shortly after the shooting, police stopped the silver vehicle for a minor traffic violation. Bennett, who was driving at the time, was identified by an eyewitness as the shooter. A firearm recovered nearby had Bennett's fingerprint on the magazine, and shell casings at the crime scene matched this weapon. At the time of his arrest, Bennett was out on bond for an aggravated unlawful use of a weapon charge.
In a broader investigation into gang-related activities in Chicago, federal authorities indicted several members of the Goonie Boss faction, including its leader, Romeo Blackman, for multiple murders, including that of Andre Donner. The indictment alleged that Blackman, then 22, was responsible for Donner's murder as part of the gang's violent efforts to control its territory in the Englewood neighborhood. The Goonie Boss gang was accused of engaging in a pattern of racketeering activities, including multiple homicides, assaults, and witness intimidation.
In July 2023, a federal jury convicted three leaders of the Goonie Boss gang, including Blackman, on federal racketeering charges. The jury found Blackman liable for several murders, among them the killing of 26-year-old Andre Donner on December 13, 2015. These convictions were part of a broader effort to dismantle violent street gangs contributing to Chicago's gun violence.
The investigations and subsequent convictions highlight the collaborative efforts between federal and local authorities to address gang violence in Chicago. The legal proceedings against individuals like Bennett and Blackman underscore the commitment to bringing those responsible for such violent acts to justice.
