Police believe a man who was killed in May in Chicago was involved in another slaying six months earlier in Evanston.

The issue came to light at a City Council meeting last week in which Carolyn Murray, the mother of slain teen Justin Murray, 19, pressured police to figure out who fatally shot her son nearly a year ago in west Evanston. She said police told her Blake Ross, 20, who was shot to death on the south side of Chicago, played a role in Justin Murray’s shooting death.

Evanston Police Cmdr. Jay Parrott on Friday afternoon confirmed the connection, saying police “have a reason to believe Blake Ross was involved” in the Justin Murray slaying. However, Parrott said no one has been charged in the case.

Murray was gunned down Nov. 29, 2012, near his grandmother’s home in the 1800 block of Brown Avenue. On May 12, Ross was shot and killed in the 2800 block of East 76th Street.

At the time, police labeled Ross the “possible intended target” of gunfire near the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.

Murray’s mother, an anti-violence activist, has organized several events to bring to light and combat youth violence in Evanston. At the council’s Nov. 11 meeting, she expressed her frustration with police, asking how they could identify Ross as someone involved in her son’s death when Ross has not been charged.

“I find it very ironic that now all of the sudden we want to blame this Ross boy for a murder and he was never arrested,” Carolyn Murray said. “What type of insensitivity could you show the mother of this young man if you want to conclude or say these things about him without any formal charges?”

Murray said at least three people were on the scene when her son was shot. Parrott confirmed police believe more than one person was involved in the incident.

Patrick Svitek contributed reporting.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @mccarthy_ciara