Damarion Johnson, 18, was a senior at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep with college basketball offers on the table. Thursday night, a drive-by shooting ended his future — and took the life of the driver who was bringing him home.
No arrests have been made. Area Four detectives are actively investigating.
Damarion Johnson had just finished playing the game he loved. The 18-year-old Christ the King Jesuit College Prep senior called an Uber to get home — a routine end to a routine evening. But shortly before 8:30 p.m. Thursday, a gray SUV pulled alongside the white car he was riding in on the 200 block of North Homan Avenue in East Garfield Park, and someone inside opened fire.
Johnson was struck multiple times. The 38-year-old man driving the car — an Uber driver, later confirmed by the company — was shot in the arm. Both were rushed to area hospitals. Both were pronounced dead.
Johnson’s death sent shockwaves through his school, his basketball community, and Chicago’s ongoing struggle with gun violence.
“He Was Robbed of Everything”
To those who knew him, Damarion Johnson — who went by DJ — was more than a statistic. He was a bright-eyed kid, intensely competitive on the court, and warm off of it. He was a senior. He had college basketball offers he was still weighing. He was weeks away from graduation.
“I hate that he was robbed of that. I hate that he was robbed of graduation.”— McKinley Nelson, founder of Project sWISH
Nelson, whose organization provides basketball programming for Chicago youth as an anti-violence initiative, knew Johnson well. He described him as “super bright, super athletic, super competitive” — a kid who lit up every room he entered.
“This is rough for all of us, for sure. We’re definitely going to miss his energy in the room,” Nelson said.
Project sWISH paid tribute to Johnson with a video on Instagram. But for Nelson, the loss cuts especially deep — his program exists precisely to protect kids like DJ. And this is the second participant he has lost to gun violence in just six months. In November, 14-year-old Armani Floyd was shot and killed in the Loop.
“I try not to let it deflate me, because it can be definitely a deflating feeling losing kids to the exact cause that you started the program for.”— McKinley Nelson
A School in Mourning
Christ the King Jesuit College Prep, located in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, confirmed Johnson’s death in a statement Thursday, calling it a “tragic” and “senseless loss.”
“Our entire Christ the King school family is grieving this senseless loss,” the school said, adding that its counseling team is available to all students and staff.
Johnson was a senior — meaning his classmates are now processing this loss in what should have been the final stretch of their high school years, a time typically filled with college decisions and celebrations.
The Other Victim: An Uber Driver
The 38-year-old man driving the car has not been publicly identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. But Uber confirmed he was working for the platform at the time of the shooting.
“There are no words to describe this tragic loss of life, and our thoughts are with the victims’ loved ones during this difficult time,” Uber said in a statement to CBS News Chicago. “We’re doing everything we can to support police during their investigation, and we hope those responsible are brought to swift justice.”
What We Know About the Shooting
Key facts
- Time: Shortly before 8:30 p.m. Thursday
- Location: 200 block of N. Homan Avenue, East Garfield Park
- A gray SUV pulled alongside a white car and opened fire
- Damarion Johnson, 18, was struck multiple times; pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital
- The Uber driver, 38, was struck in the arm; pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital
- No motive has been disclosed; no arrests have been made
- Area Four detectives are investigating
Police have released no information on a potential motive and have not announced any suspects. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Chicago police.
For Nelson and the community Johnson left behind, the grief is compounded by a familiar, devastating futility.
“We know we got many more kids to protect,” he said.
