Mysean Dunning, a 16-year-old boy, was fatally shot on the night of November 25, 2015, in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago. Just before midnight, two individuals approached Mysean near his home in the 3300 block of West Van Buren Street and shot him in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene by authorities.
The tragic incident was linked to a hit-and-run accident that occurred earlier that day.
Around 6 p.m., James Armstrong, then 19, was driving a white Lincoln that spun out and collided with a black vehicle near the intersection of Homan Avenue and Van Buren Street. The occupants of the Lincoln fled the scene, leaving the car behind. In retaliation, the individuals in the black vehicle broke the windows of the abandoned Lincoln.
Later that night, Armstrong and another person returned to the same intersection in an SUV. They approached Mysean Dunning, who was standing outside. Armstrong walked back to the SUV, retrieved a firearm, and then returned to where Mysean was standing. He shot Mysean at close range in the face. Mysean's sister discovered him collapsed on the sidewalk shortly after the shooting. He was pronounced dead at 12:06 a.m. by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
James Armstrong, who was later identified as the shooter, was charged with first-degree murder. He appeared before Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr., who denied him bail. Armstrong, 20, of the 4100 block of West Grenshaw Street, faced legal proceedings for his involvement in the fatal shooting. The case highlighted the tragic consequences of a seemingly unrelated hit-and-run accident escalating into a deadly confrontation.
