Police in Illinois are still searching for the person who killed a teen student in a drive-by shooting on Sunday night in Chicago, and now her family is left mourning the girl’s loss.
17-year-old Sa’Qura Heard was looking forward to the future after earning a full-ride scholarship to Southern Illinois University, with her departure for college just weeks away.
“I was so proud of her. She’d come a long way,” said her father Fabian Heard.
On Sunday night, her family got the devastating news.
According to police, Heard was in a vehicle in the 7300 block of South Union at approximately 9:11 p.m. Sunday when she was shot.
She was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
“Evidentially, a car pulled up when they were outside – shots were fired- the vehicle then fled,” Fabian Heard said. “It is just really sad news.”
A recent graduate of Johnson College Prep, Sa’Qura was everyone’s cheerleader, always motivating her family and friends.
“I’m just trying figure out how to do things without me niece – she didn’t deserve no stuff like this,” said her Aunt Candace Clark. “She did not deserve this.”
On Tuesday night, her classmates held a vigil in her honor at Chicago’s Rainbow Beach.
“She helped everyone stay positive. She was always happy,” said classmate Amber Ellison.
“In the darkest times of my life, she was always there for me,” classmate Colby Cook added.
According to her family, Sa’Qura wanted to be a nurse. She leaves behind a 3-year-old son, her mother, father, step-mom and 13 siblings.
To help with funeral expenses, her family has started a GoFundMe.
Chicago police have not yet identified a suspect in the case, and the investigation remains ongoing.
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