On the ninth anniversary of his killing, Jonathan O’Shaughnessy’s parents returned to the memorial bench near East 64th Street and Fourth Avenue South, turning grief into an annual call for answers. As they honored their son, they also collected nonperishable donations for a community pantry, aiming to reach 250 items for the week. Despite a $50,000 reward that has been on the table for years, the family says there have been no arrests, and their questions remain painfully unanswered.
Jonathan O’Shaughnessy was shot and killed in a drive-by on July 3, 2017, while walking home from a community Fourth of July dance, according to KARE 11. The outlet reports the family collects donations each year on his "angelversary," turning the day he died into a day of service. His father, Brian O’Shaughnessy, summed up the enduring shock with a simple question: "Can you imagine that? Your own son."
Family Turns Grief Into Community Service
The group formed in his memory, Justice for Jonathan O’Shaughnessy, lists annual drives, highway cleanups, and a community pantry among its outreach efforts and identifies the bench at E. 64th and 4th Ave as the focal point for gatherings. Donation boxes at local businesses and a push for a State Fair memorial tile reflect the family’s determination to keep Jonathan’s name linked to service rather than violence.
Reward Still Active, Police Say Case Is Open
The killing still carries a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or conviction, according to CBS Minnesota. Richfield police say the investigation remains open but acknowledge there have been no recent developments, per KSTP.
How To Share A Tip
Authorities ask anyone with information to contact the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension tipline at 1-877-996-6222 or via email at [email protected], the Richfield Police Department at 612-861-9800, or Crime Stoppers, according to FOX 9. The family says they will continue the annual memorials and drives, hoping that renewed attention will finally move someone to come forward.
"I thought it was a cap gun, and then I saw the blood on his shirt, and he dropped and so I started CPR," Jonathan’s mother, Cynthia Kuntz, recalled in interviews, per KARE 11. Nine years on, the family says they will keep pressing until someone explains why Jonathan was killed.
