Brandon J Cathey

Brandon J. Cathey, a 24-year-old African-American man and devoted father of two, was killed in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood on the night of Saturday, August 26, 2017. He was a resident of the city's Grand Boulevard neighborhood on the South Side. Loved ones remembered him as a wonderful father who was not supposed to leave his children. In the wake of his death, a GoFundMe page was established to help his family with the unexpected funeral expenses.

The shooting occurred just after 11 p.m. on the 6200 block of South Laflin Street. When Chicago Police officers arrived at the scene, they found Brandon unresponsive on the ground. He had sustained a single, catastrophic gunshot wound to the head. Paramedics rushed him to Advocate Christ Medical Center in the nearby suburb of Oak Lawn. Despite the efforts of medical staff, Brandon succumbed to his injury and was pronounced dead at 9:12 a.m. the following morning, Sunday, August 27, 2017.

The incident was part of a violent weekend in Chicago, during which at least seven people were killed and another 25 were wounded in shootings across the city. The week of Brandon's death saw at least 11 homicides in total. While the city was experiencing a devastatingly high number of killings, August 2017 did see a significant decrease in shootings compared to the previous year. Still, by the end of the year, Chicago's homicide total would be over 650, a number that, while lower than the prior year, remained historically high.

The investigation into Brandon Cathey’s murder was handled by Area South detectives with the Chicago Police Department. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, police reported that the circumstances leading up to the attack were unknown. No witnesses had come forward with information, and authorities had not identified any suspects. The initial reports from law enforcement did not provide a description of the shooter or any further details about what transpired on South Laflin Street that night.

Years have passed since Brandon Cathey’s life was taken, and his case has grown cold. There have been no subsequent announcements from the Chicago Police Department regarding arrests or persons of interest in connection with his killing. The investigation remains open but inactive, awaiting any new evidence or witness testimony that could lead to a breakthrough. His death is a stark reminder of the gun violence that has afflicted many Chicago neighborhoods and the profound loss experienced by families left without answers or justice.

As of late 2024, no one has been held accountable for the murder of Brandon J. Cathey. His name is listed among the many unsolved homicides in the city, a painful entry in a long ledger of unresolved grief. Authorities continue to urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. The Chicago Police Department maintains a tip line for its detectives, and anonymous information can also be submitted through various community anti-violence organizations.