Naseem Stevens, a charismatic and joyful 26-year-old man, was eagerly anticipating the birth of his first child. His family remembers him as a “ray of sunshine” and a bright light whose smile could shift the energy in any room. To them, he was Naseem, but to friends, he was known by the nickname "Poohman," which he picked up in middle school. A native of Chicago's South Side, Naseem had been a member of the South Shore Drill Team in his youth, even performing in New York.
His mother, Karonna Williams, acknowledged that her son had made mistakes and had a criminal record, but she saw him turning his life around. He was working in construction with family and was focused on building a future with his partner, extremely excited to become a father.
The evening of Friday, September 25, 2026, ended that future. Around 7 p.m., Naseem Stevens was at a Citgo gas station in the 7500 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Grand Crossing neighborhood, a community he knew well. Surveillance video released by police shows a black sedan pulling into the station. Two masked individuals, dressed in dark clothing, jumped out, one armed with a handgun and the other with a rifle. One gunman ran to Naseem’s car, which had darkly tinted windows, and fired into the driver's side. His family believes he may have still been inside the gas station store at that moment. When Naseem emerged and got into his car to flee, both gunmen opened fire.
The assailants got back into their sedan and chased Naseem as he drove away. They continued to shoot at his car in traffic. Naseem, struck by bullets in his back and knee, crashed into a pole in the 7400 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, just a couple of blocks from the gas station. He was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy later confirmed he died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The Chicago Police Department’s Area 2 detectives are leading the homicide investigation. They noted that Naseem’s car had a funeral sticker on it from the services held earlier that day in Merrillville, Indiana, for Mi’KQuale Cooper, a drill rapper known as BloodHound Q50. Cooper himself had been killed in a shooting at another Chicago gas station less than two weeks prior. While police are investigating a possible connection between Naseem's murder and the funeral, they have stated they are uncertain if the two events are linked. His mother and aunt pushed back against social media speculation about gang ties, insisting that was not who he was.
In the days following the murder, police released the disturbing surveillance footage of the ambush, hoping the public could help identify the two suspects. The video shows the shocking speed and violence of the attack, and one of the gunmen stumbling and falling to the pavement as he tried to get back into the fleeing sedan. Naseem’s aunt, Hakeemah Williams, said she could not bring herself to watch the gruesome video. She questioned why anyone would need a "military-grade firearm on the streets."
As of early October 2026, no arrests had been made in connection with Naseem’s murder, and the case remains unsolved. His family is left devastated, grappling with the brutal loss of a man they describe as loving and full of promise. Hakeemah Williams started a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses, writing, "Our family is shattered, heartbroken, and struggling to understand how someone so full of life, love, and promise could be taken from us in such a brutal way." Police have asked that anyone with information contact Area 2 detectives at 312-747-8271 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com, referencing case number JK427296.
