Darius Parish, a promising young 20-year-old St. Xavier University student who was studying to become a pharmacist, was shot and killed on Chicago’s Southwest side.
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What’s even more tragic is that Darius’ stepfather, Darwin Butler, who is a 16 year Chicago Police Sargeant tapped to investigate the murder scene, didn’t realize it was his son until he took a second look.
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Butler told the Chicago Tribune, “I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. I had to look at him again.”
Darius was killed when he was driving through his Englewood neighborhood on November 27th at 1am during Thanksgiving break, when someone opened fire on his white Monte Carlo.
The bullets struck Darius in the shoulder and killed him. A friend was shot in the arm, while three others in the car, including a 10-month-old child, were not injured.
Sgt. Butler said his son’s death reinforces his reason for working the streets of Chicago and he has no plans to back away from the job. He went on to tell the Tribune:
“I’m going to keep fighting. I’m going to keep trying to make a difference. I mean, yeah, you’ve just got to keep going. There’s a lot of concerned people out here who live in Englewood and other communities who are at a disadvantage that don’t want the violence.”
Sgt. Butler is true hero in his community and we are saddened by the death of his son Darius. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
