Man Shot And Killed While Attending Brother's Birthday Party In Englewood
CHICAGO (CBS) -- What began as a birthday celebration in Englewood ended Friday night in the shooting death of a man described as a dedicated husband and father.
Layfayette Johnson, 34, was shot dead in the street outside his childhood home in Englewood.
Police told CBS 2's Vince Gerasole Johnson, an Evergreen Park resident, was not associated with any gangs, and detectives don't know why he was shot.
In Englewood, rain poured down like the tears Johnson's family shed after he was slain.
"We need to know what happened. What was it for?" said Johnson's sister, Stephanie.
For the Englewood community, it was another weekend, another shooting, another death.
Johnson's friend, Diana carr, said "This man got gunned down for no apparent reason. He never bothered nobody.
Johnson, a husband and father called "Laffy" by his friends and family, was shot to death around 10 p.m. Friday.
"He wasn't struggling. He had his life together," his sister Sharon said.
The former security guard and hospital driver came to his childhood home to celebrate his brother's birthday on Friday.
"My brother don't do nothing to nobody. He don't sell drugs, or none of that. All my brothers, they're working people," Stephanie said.
As the family of 11 borthers and sisters gathered on their front porch Friday night, police say a black Chevy Trailblazer drove by and opened fire.
"I was in the car, so I looked back, I could see the parks in the back of us," Stephanie said.
"Gunshots rang out, and then we was ducking," Sharon said. "When the gunshots was clear, he was on the ground; smiling, looking up, smiling, gasping for air. And that's when he took his last breath."
Family and friends said they hope a nearby security camera at the corner of 71st Street and Normal Avenue could help lead police to a suspect, and that someone who knows something will come forward.
"It's time to put these guns down and people come together," Carr said. "It takes a village, and we need this village to stop this senseless crime."
Family members said Johnson was a devoted husband, raising five children, who also helped point his brothers and sisters in the right direction.
