Justin Murray killing not random, Evanston Police say

Evanston Police do not believe the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Justin Murray was random.

Murray, a 2011 graduate of Evanston Township High School, was shot dead Thursday night near ETHS.

In a news release Friday night, EPD said Murray was shot twice while "two offenders" watched from a nearby walkway. At the time, Murray was surrounded by several other people, so police are still determining whether he was the intended target.

Murray was gunned down in front of 1818 Brown Ave., less than two miles from the western edge of Northwestern's campus in Evanston.

After ETHS freshman Dajae Coleman was shot and killed walking home from a party in September, Carolyn Murray, Justin's mother, became a vocal advocate for curbing gun violence in Evanston.

As co-chair of the West Evanston Strategic Team, Carolyn Murray is spearheading a gun buyback program slated for Dec. 15. Northwestern has pitched in $10,000 for the citizen initiative.

"We are trying," Murray told The Daily in early October. "We are really trying hard to work with our community to make things better and to give our kids other alternatives."

— Patrick Svitek