Aahric Whitehead was a charismatic and beloved 20-year-old Black man with a bright future ahead of him. A former standout quarterback for Merrillville High School, he was remembered by his mother, Yvette, as kind, supportive, and a skilled BBQ chef who dreamed of one day building a house for her. After graduating, Aahric had worked at Home Depot and a local roofing company before recently being accepted into an apprenticeship with the Carpenters' Union and enrolling at Ivy Tech Community
College.
In the early evening of June 1, 2022, emergency responders were called to a parking lot in the 7200 block of Taft Street in Merrillville, Indiana, following reports of gunfire. They found Aahric Whitehead in a vehicle, suffering from what the coroner would later determine were six gunshot wounds to his head and face. Despite medical aid, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation revealed the shooting stemmed from a planned handgun sale that turned violent. Whitehead had arrived at the parking lot in a Ford Fusion with two passengers, intending to sell a gun for his uncle. He was met by 18-year-old Daniel Oloyede, a former football teammate, who pulled up in a Toyota. After retrieving a gun box from his trunk, Whitehead got into the passenger seat of Oloyede’s car. A witness then saw a third person, 16-year-old Thurman D. Atkinson Jr., sit up in the backseat. Sensing something was wrong, Whitehead returned to his own car to get his phone, handing a second handgun to one of his passengers and telling him to “watch them.”
When Whitehead re-entered the Toyota, Atkinson allegedly got out of the backseat and pointed a rifle at him. A struggle ensued between Whitehead and Oloyede in the front seat, during which a witness heard someone yell, “Shoot him.” At that point, Whitehead’s armed passenger exited the Ford and began firing at Oloyede and Atkinson, who returned fire. In the exchange, Oloyede was shot in the cheek and arm, and Atkinson was shot in the toe. Whitehead’s two passengers waited for law enforcement at a nearby gas station.
Police later located Atkinson and Oloyede at Oloyede's home. Thurman Atkinson Jr. was charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at Whitehead's passengers. Daniel Oloyede was charged with two counts of attempted murder.
The charges against Daniel Oloyede were later dismissed after a witness recanted his statement. Thurman Atkinson proceeded to trial, where his attorney argued he acted in self-defense. In May 2026, a Lake County jury convicted Atkinson of the lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of criminal recklessness. On July 9, 2026, a judge sentenced Atkinson, then 20, to a total of 26 years in prison.
