Orlando Charleston, a 37-year-old African American male from Gary, Indiana, was known affectionately to his friends and family as "Chewy." Born in Chicago and a 1995 graduate of William A. Wirt High School, he had built a life dedicated to service and family in the Northwest Indiana community. Orlando worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant a profession that allowed him to express his generous spirit by caring for those unable to help themselves.
He was described by loved ones as a supportive father and a man with a great sense of humor, capable of bringing laughter to those around him even in difficult times. He was a devoted husband to his wife, Shema, and a father to three sons, Orlando III, Malachi, and Malik.
On Friday, September 12, 2014, Orlando Charleston’s life was tragically cut short in a violent incident in Gary. The Lake County Coroner’s Office pronounced him dead that evening, ruling the manner of death as a homicide due to gun violence. His passing marked a profound loss for his community and his extensive family, including his mother, siblings, and numerous relatives who remembered him as a "guardian angel" in their subsequent tributes.
Following the shooting, the Gary Police Department and the Lake County Prosecutor's Homicide Task Force launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. While the case was officially ruled a homicide, public records regarding specific suspects, arrests, or convictions in the immediate aftermath were limited. Over the years, the case has been discussed in community forums dedicated to unsolved homicides in the region, with some unverified discussions suggesting that ballistics evidence may have eventually provided leads, but no definitive reports of a trial or conviction have been widely publicized in main media outlets. The case remains a poignant example of the gun violence that has affected families in the area, leaving Orlando’s loved ones to cherish his memory in the absence of complete closure.
