Last Saturday, friends and family members of a slain man returned to the spot where lost his life to seek answers.
One year ago today, 24 year-old Cordea Leyva was shot to death near his home on 78th and Sawyer in Chicago's Ashburn community. The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. on a sunny afternoon but no one has come forward with any information about what happened. And the lack of community cooperation has led the family to take matters into their own hands.
However, Mr. Leyva's family and friends are more peaceful vigilantes. They left fliers in mailboxes around the neighborhood and tried to get the attention of residents in a respectful way. They realize that it is a formidable task to get people to talk--especially with the area being saturated with Spanish speaking residents.
All of that couldn't deter Camiella Williams--a friend of Mr. Leyva-- or his sister, Jemila, from organizing people to spend their weekend afternoon helping pass out flyers. Yet, time always seems to be of the essence. Most folks have a hard time remembering what happened an hour before, let alone a year ago. But everyone had faith that things would improve.
Before the flyers went out, there was a prayer vigil at the corner where Leyva died. One of the speakers, Charlene Davis, had a very passionate message about what must be done to change the atmosphere in communities. (Check out the video below).
St. Sabina Church has been offering a $5,000 reward for the past year for information leading to a suspect.
If you know have any information that could benefit police, please call 1-773-483-4300.
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