CHICAGO — A 19-year-old “gentle giant” was gunned down in Douglass Park Wednesday afternoon while waiting for his mother to finish up with a doctor’s appointment, family said.
At around 1 p.m., police responded to the 1600 block of South Farrar Drive, located in the park, on the report of a shooting.
Giovanni Flores was eating lunch in the park after dropping his mother off at nearby Mt. Sinai for a doctor’s appointment, brother Steven Flores-Sanchez said. At some point, a gunman approached him and shot Flores in the head and neck.
Doctors at Mt. Sinai were unable to save Flores, a UIC student and 2021 Lane Tech graduate, despite their best efforts. It was the same place Flores was born, family said.
At 6′ tall and 300 lbs., he was the family’s “gentle giant.”
“That’s the last person who deserves something like this,” his brother said. “Everybody knew you could depend on him if you ever needed help moving, redecorating or painting.”
Police told Flores-Sanchez had just ordered McDonald’s and was eating it in his car at the time of the shooting. The gunman left the 19-year-old’s wallet, credit cards and cell phone behind and fled.
“It seemed like it was in the head and neck and all from behind,” his brother said. “So, I don’t even know if he knew what happened.”
A GoFundMe has raised over $8,000 for the family at this time.
No suspects are in custody. Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.
