School community mourns CPS teacher who was shot, killed in Chatham
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When you talk about a teacher who made the difference and who was dedicated to his students, those who knew Quentine Carradine said he fit that exact description.
On Thursday night, Mr. Carradine's school family is mourning the loss of the Chicago Public Schools teacher – who was shot and killed in a car leaving school Monday.
According to police, Carradine, 49, was driving in a car in the 400 block of East 87th Street just after 4 p.m. Monday when shots were fired.
Carradine was shot in the head and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. He later died at the hospital.
It started to sink in for some teachers here at New William K. Sullivan Elementary School, 8331 S. Mackinaw Ave., once they turned on the news and saw Quentine's car in the middle of a crime. On Thursday night, he was remembered as a dedicated teacher who provided an endless flow of laughter.
Two orange cones mark the site where Carradine parked at New Sullivan. There is now a memorial of flowers and candles to mark the special education teacher's spot.
"He was like a consistent guy. So with those, you know, consistencies now being broken, It's like it's starting to set in, and my heart is hurt," said New Sullivan special education teacher Jessica House. "I'm hurt."
House taught alongside Carradine. She said it is the little things she misses most — like the way he would hold the door and greet teachers as they arrived in the morning.
"To wrap your mind around the fact that you were just working with this person – you know, he got off of work at like 3:45 - and so, getting off of work at 3:45, and less then like a half an hour later, his life had been tragically taken," House said.
Carradine was not believed to be the intended target of the shooting. So far, no arrests have been made.
"His life had been tragically taken - because that's just the total opposite of what he represented, what he stands for, what he stood for as a as a human being," House said. "That's just not who he was."
School officials released the following statement:
"Mr. Carradine was an integral part of New Sullivan, impacting many students' lives through his incredible work in Special Education and on the basketball court as a coach in our Elementary Sports Programming. Our thoughts are with the Carradine family, their friends and the entire New Sullivan and CPS community during this difficult time."
School administrators say are planning to honor Carradine's legacy, and the impact he had on the CPS community, in the coming days.
