GUNNED DOWN FOUR DAYS AFTER HER 21ST BIRTHDAY. CASE STILL UNSOLVED AND MOTIVE UNKNOWN

Just four days after Jasmine Chacon-Chavez celebrated her 21st birthday, shots rang out.  

It had been a cloudy day in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on Dec. 17, 2017, around 9.40 p.m. when her life ended — really before it ever began.

Chavez was traveling in a four-door sedan with two other occupants along the 5900 block of South Richmond when she was shot multiple times with a rifle from the sidewalk, according to the Chicago police. 

She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her companion, Frankie Baez, 25, met the same fate, and a third occupant was rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital with wounds to his arms and legs.

A witness described the chaos that erupted during the gunfire according to the Chicago CBS News, “As soon as I realized what it was, I hit the floor – I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. I worry about my son’s safety and the safety of my neighbors because they have kids, too.”

Originally, Chicago Lawn was a residential haven for blue-collar workers. It’s located on the south-west side of Chicago, bordering other communities such as Englewood, Ashburn, Gage Park and West Lawn. 

It’s home to Nabisco, formerly called the National Biscuit Company, which at one time was the largest bakery in the world.  There are some mixed reviews from the residents who blame the increase in violence due to the state’s economic decline over the years. 

However, some still believe it’s a good neighborhood because it’s close to everything they need and diverse.

Three years after the shooting, police still don’t have anyone in custody or arrested for Jasmine and Frankie’s murder.