Davonte Smith, 21, of Chicago, was shot in the head in University Park the previous week, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. He was pronounced dead at 8:42 a.m. on October 9 at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
The Chicago Tribune reported that the University Park Police Department and the Will County Major Crimes Task Force investigated Smith’s shooting. Police Chief Vincent Starks confirmed the joint investigation but did not identify where in University Park the shooting occurred, the Tribune reported.
Few Details Released So Far
Starks said in an email that more information would be released later, the Tribune reported. The circumstances leading to the shooting have not been disclosed, and no suspect, arrest or motive has been publicly announced.
A separate University Park homicide involved Ryan Jenkins, an 18-year-old man, according to Shaw Local. The outlet reported that the homicide occurred the Thursday before, though the Will County Coroner's Office reportedly did not reveal the incident until late that Saturday morning.
Investigation Remains Open
The Tribune’s account did not describe what evidence investigators had gathered or whether they were pursuing leads.
What the Agencies’ Roles Show
The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office says the Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force is designed to direct police resources toward major-crime investigations; that describes its general role, not why it joined the Smith investigation. The Village of University Park describes its police department as a full-service agency serving communities in Will and Cook Counties and lists major-crimes investigations among its capacities. Those general descriptions do not provide further details about either department’s specific work in Smith’s case.
Residents of University Park are left waiting, as officials indicated, for further updates on a case that so far has yielded more questions than answers about how a 21-year-old from Chicago came to be shot in their community.
