Travon C Clemmons

Travon C. Clemmons, a 24-year-old Black man remembered as funny and social, was a resident of the northwest Chicago suburb of Hanover Park, Illinois. He had attended Lake Park High School and was the father of one child. Loved ones knew him by the nicknames "Tra" and "Tray." His life was cut short on the evening of Sunday, July 3, 2016, during a violent holiday weekend in a city already grappling with a significant increase in homicides that year.

The sounds of fireworks filled the air in the Little Village neighborhood on Chicago’s Southwest Side when the distinct pop of gunshots rang out. A neighbor, Jamar Harris, recalled hearing six or seven shots that were different from the celebratory fireworks. “We heard fireworks and between the fireworks, it was like, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,” he said. Harris, a lifelong resident of the area, lamented, “This sh is always going on around here.”

Around 10:50 p.m., Chicago Police officers responded to a call of a person down in the 2200 block of South Lawndale Avenue. There, in a lot across the street from Paderewski Elementary Learning Academy, they found Travon Clemmons lying on the ground. He had been shot in the back of the head. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene at 11:30 p.m.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office later conducted an autopsy and determined that Travon’s death was a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds. As police began their investigation, his body could be seen on the ground while detectives searched the nearby school building for any stray bullet holes. The area was cordoned off with police tape as investigators worked under the intermittent lights of distant fireworks.

The investigation into Travon Clemmons's murder was handled by the Chicago Police Department. In the immediate aftermath, no suspects were identified, and no arrests were made. The case joined a tragically long list of unsolved homicides in the city. The year 2016 was particularly violent for Chicago, with a spike in gun-related deaths that reached levels not seen in two decades. Travon's murder was one of many that occurred over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, a period often marked by increased shootings in the city.

Despite the passage of time, there have been no public announcements of arrests or charges in connection with the murder of Travon Clemmons. His case remains an open and unsolved investigation with the Chicago Police Department. His name is listed on memorial websites like the National Gun Violence Memorial and Homicide Watch Chicago, which document the victims of violence and serve as a somber reminder of a life taken too soon.

The family and friends of Travon Clemmons were left to mourn a man they remembered for his funny and social nature. His mother's anguish was captured in a simple, heartbreaking comment on a memorial page: "i neededjustic for my son Travon." As of late 2026, the case remains cold. There is no information available regarding any rewards offered for information leading to an arrest. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities typically urge anyone with information to contact the Chicago Police Department.