WEST PULLMAN — A young anti-violence activist was fatally shot Tuesday night in West Pullman, devastating family and friends who witnessed her work in the community.
The shooting happened about 6 p.m. in the 12200 block of South Wallace Street, according to police.
LaNiyah Murphy, 20, was sitting in a car with someone she knew when the two had an argument, a police spokesperson said. The person pulled out a gun and shot Murphy, the spokesperson said.
Murphy was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Police did not give a description of the attacker, and no one has been arrested. Detectives are investigating.
The news of Murphy’s death shocked her friends and loved ones.
In 2018, Murphy, then 16, was shot in her head in Englewood. She survived the shooting and went on to promote anti-violence initiatives across the city.
Murphy became a member of BRAVE Youth Leaders, a violence prevention youth council at Saint Sabina Church led by the church’s pastor, Michael Pfleger, people who knew her said.
In a tribute to Murphy posted on Facebook, Pfleger described the youth activist as “bold, articulate and fearless.”
“How many young folk are we going to lose before … this Killing stops …,” Pfleger wrote.
Lamar Johnson Jr., an organizer and leader with BRAVE Youth Leaders, said Murphy was “the life of the party” in a post on Facebook.
Murphy was the salutatorian of her graduating class at Chatham’s Perspectives Leadership Academy in 2020, Johnson said. In 2019, Murphy helped organize a demonstration at the White House.
“Pray for her parents, family, siblings, friends and countless of lives she touched in this city,” Johnson wrote.
Murphy was also remembered Tuesday for her dedication to her work and “brilliant mind.”