Kaylyn Pryor, a 20-year-old aspiring model, was tragically shot and killed on November 2, 2015, in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. Pryor had recently won the Mario Tricoci "Make Me a Model" competition and was standing with a 15-year-old boy near her grandparents' house when a drive-by shooting occurred. The shooting took place around 6:20 p.m. in the 7300 block of South May Street. Pryor was hit in the right armpit and later died at Advocate Christ Medical Center.
The teenage boy with her was also critically injured.
Authorities indicated that the drive-by shooting might have had ties to gang violence, though Pryor herself was not believed to be the intended target. Her sudden and senseless death added to the growing concern over the escalation of gun violence in Chicago at the time. Pryor, who was also aspiring to attend law school, was remembered by the Mario Tricoci modeling team for her kind spirit and vibrant personality. Her death left her family, friends, and community in mourning, as they continued to search for justice and answers.
