- Credibility:
CHICAGO — Chicago Police are describing the murder of rapper FBG Duck Tuesday in one of the city’s most exclusive shopping areas as a targeted gang hit and preparing for retaliation, but some fear the “gang” label could lead to people letting their guard down — which could be dangerous.
“This retaliation is not just about gang members. It’s about the collateral damage. These are not marksmen,” said Tamar Manasseh, founder of anti-violence group Mothers Against Senseless Killings Chicago.
At 3:26 p.m Tuesday., FBG Duck, whose real name is Carlton Weekly, was standing with another man on the sidewalk near 70 E. Oak St. between Rush Street and Michigan Avenue when people in a black Ford Taurus and silver Chrysler 300 drove up, police said. Four gunmen got out, walked up and fired shots, hitting the men and a woman who was sitting in a nearby car, Police Deputy Chief Daniel O’Shea said.
Weekly, 26, was killed. A 36-year-old man was hit in his back and side and was taken to Northwestern in serious condition, police said. A 28-year-old woman was shot in her left hand, police said. Her condition was unknown but she was listed as “stable” at Amita Health St. Joseph Hospital, according to police and Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
After the shooting on Tuesday, O’Shea described the incident as a “targeted shooting.” Police have also said they are investigating if Weekly, described as a member of the Gangster Disciples, was killed by rival Black Disciples for a video he produced in which he “dissed” rival gang members who had died.
However, Manasseh and activist Ja’Mal Green say Weekly may have been a gang member, but his increasing popularity as a rapper allowed him to get out of the gang lifestyle — a change that appears to have come too late.
“Here’s the thing, it doesn’t matter, we still have to care,” Manasseh said of his death. “He was done with that. He made a video talking about how he didn’t want to put guns in his videos anymore because kids were watching it.”
Green agreed, saying “I think when you reach a level of stardom, everyone wants to be better. Everyone wants to leave the life and provide for your family, which is what he was trying to do.”
Green added that despite Weekly attempting to change his life around, “he had already perpetuated a lot of things.”
His song “Dead Bitches” celebrates the death of a rival, but in a video posted in July, the rapper condemned the recent shootings of children throughout the city, saying he has four children and would not want anyone to come for him when his kids were around.
“Y’all aint doing it right,” he says in the video, “Y’all ain’t even hitting your target.”
He described the violence in general as sad, adding, “we should be sticking together.”
Still, Manasseh said in the eyes of some, Weekly may not ever have been able to redeem himself as a good citizen.
“When can you get redemption? How do you redeem yourself? Is it once a Gangster Disciple, always a Gangster Disciple, or once a Blackstone, always a Blackstone? Is there such a thing as redemption?”
Both Manasseh and Green said they expect retaliation and took to social media to implore people to be careful.
Green posted on Twitter Tuesday night, writing “If you live in or near PARKWAY Gardens (63rd King Dr): Please stay in the house and KEEP YOUR KIDS inside until further notice! It’s not worth it. Please just listen!”
Manasseh posted a long post on Facebook, writing “Many of us can look the other way when this happens in Black neighborhoods, and we often do. Not this time though. We have a common interest for a change…SURVIVAL.”
On Wednesday, both said the possible retaliation is something all Chicagoans need to care about.
“This is going to be messy. Retaliation is not an eye for an eye, it’s not about ‘I know where you’re gonna be and I’m gonna come and just shoot you.’ It puts everybody in the cross hairs,” Manasseh said.
“It’s gonna affect everybody. Just look at where it happened, it happened on the Gold Coast,” Green said. “Everybody has to treat this like this is their problem, because that’s the only way we’re going to be able to achieve any real solutions.”
Chicago Police also are aware of the potential for retaliation, issuing an advisory to several South Side police districts informing officers to use “extreme caution,” according to an Englewood District officer who did not want to use his name.
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said the investigation is ongoing and asked that the public speak up.
“We know people know who discharged those weapons yesterday, so please, even if it has to be anonymously, please call the detectives and provide the names of the defendants and let us work our case,” Deenihan said.
However, Manasseh and Green believe the police should already have enough information, saying that the alleged shooters posted videos to social media bragging about killing Weekly.
“Look at social media and see what they are saying because if they are confessing to murders on YouTube, why should you not arrest them?” Manasseh said. “They don’t need any more time. Because these shooters are like Hezbollah or Al Qaeda. They take responsibility for their shootings. That’s how they get their street cred. That’s how they get record deals. It’s almost like a job interview. The more people you kill, the bigger the target is that you kill, the more likely you are to get a record contract somewhere.”
Green agreed, saying it shouldn’t take police long to find the shooters because the incident happened on the Gold Coast where there are many cameras.
For now, both Green is imploring all city residents to be careful, especially those who live in areas with a lot of gang activity.
“Be careful, especially in the areas where the gang is and to protect the kids because we know a lot of innocent bystanders are being killed nowadays,” Green said.
Manasseh is also pleading with police and citizens to not just write off Weekly’s murder as a “gang thing.”
“By letting gang members kill each other off to rid this city of that element, you’re letting kids get killed. You’re letting old people get killed. You’re letting people sitting on their sofas in their homes get killed when a bullet comes through the window. But as long as they say gangbanger we forget about all of the innocent bystanders that are those peoples neighbors.”
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