// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the "Murder of Dantrell Davis" book say to the shelf? "I'm a killer title
| Murder of Dantrell Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in an undated photograph | |
| Location | Cabrini–Green, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Date | October 13, 1992 |
| Weapon | Sniper rifle |
| Perpetrator | Anthony Garrett |
Dantrell Davis (July 31, 1985 – October 13, 1992) was an African-American boy from Chicago, Illinois, who was murdered in October 1992. Davis was walking to school with his mother in the Cabrini-Green neighborhood, when he was accidentally shot by Anthony Garrett, the leader of a local street gang,[1] who intended to shoot a rival.[2] Dantrell's death sparked an increased awareness of the extensive violence occurring in Chicago's inner-city projects, and led to the first street gang truce in Cabrini–Green,[3] which lasted for three years. Garrett was convicted of first-degree murder for Davis' death, and received a 100-year sentence.
Murder
[edit]Shortly after 9:00 a.m. on the morning of October 13, 1992, 7-year-old Dantrell Davis was walking with his mother Annette Freeman to Jenner Elementary School where he was a first grader, from his home at 502 W. Oak Street, a 19–story high-rise belonging to the Chicago Housing Authority in the Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago's Near North Side. While walking to school, Davis was struck by a bullet fired by Anthony Garrett, who was perched on the 10th-floor of a vacant apartment building,[3] and was pronounced dead at Children's Memorial Hospital. Garrett was arrested only hours after he shot Davis, and the following day signed a 5+1⁄2-page confession stating that he was aiming to kill rival gang members when he accidentally shot Davis as he walked past his target. Garrett was indicted on first degree murder charges on November 5, 1992, and sentenced to 100 years in prison on March 8, 1994.
Aftermath
[edit]The murder of Davis gained national attention, and brought an increasing awareness to the street violence that was rampant in Chicago's inner-city housing projects. The reputation of Cabrini-Green worsened further, which had already become synonymous with the problems associated with public housing in the United States. Davis' death was one of several events that contributed to Cabrini-Green's gradual demolition and redevelopment of Cabrini-Green beginning in the late 1990s.
On March 5, 1993, the section of N Cleveland Avenue between W Oak Street and W Hobbie Street, where Davis had been killed, was given the honorary name Dantrell Davis Way.[4][5] The honorary street sign still remains, although much of the Cabrini–Green housing project, including Davis' home and the building from which he was shot, have since been demolished.[6] Derek Ault, a teacher at Jenner Elementary School, started the Dantrell Davis Peace Party.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Holmes, Evelyn (October 13, 2017). "Mother remembers son killed in 1992 Cabrini Green shooting | abc7chicago.com". abc7chicago.com. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ TIME (November 2, 1992). "A Brief Life in the Killing Zone". TIME. Archived from the original on June 23, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- 1 2 "Guns Fall Silent After Boy's Death in Projects". Los Angeles Times. November 15, 1992. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ Gottesman, Andrew (January 14, 1993). "Cabrini street named for Dantrell Davis". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024.
- 1 2 Schmich, Mary (October 15, 2008). "16 years later, killing of Dantrell Davis remembered". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024.
- ↑ Kohn, David (December 11, 2002). "Tearing Down Cabrini-Green". 60 Minutes II. CBS News. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Blau, Robert (Winter 1998). "Editors' Question: Do We Fail Our Children?". Nieman Reports. Vol. 52, no. 4. Nieman Foundation for Journalism. p. 51. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023.
- Terry, Don (October 17, 1992). "Even a Grade School Is No Refuge From Gunfire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
- Dumke, Mick (October 12, 2012). "The shot that brought the projects down, part one of five". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024.
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