SOUTH SHORE — A security guard who was shot to death Thursday morning attended college on a music scholarship before returning home to tend for his mother, family members said.
Raymond Murray, 25, was as a "computer geek," a music lover and a family man, his uncle said.
"He played the trombone, the trumpet and the euphonium," said Arthur Muhammad, Murray's uncle. "He loved his music."
"He was artsy, and really goofy," said Taron Cain, Murray's cousin. "He had a huge personality."
After graduating high school, Murray attended Saint Augustine University in Raleigh, N.C. for two years on a band scholarship, playing the trombone. He returned to Chicago to take care of his mother, who suffered from a seizure disorder, his uncle said.
"He loved his mother and wanted to make sure she was taken care of," Muhammad said. "He was always home. Even when he would hang out with friends, they would come over to his place."
Three years ago, Murray received certification to be an armed security guard and had been working as an armed guard for a few years at a Chicago Housing Authority complex, his uncle added.
Murray was gunned down outside his apartment on the 7700 block of South Jeffery Boulevard early Thursday as he returned home from work.
About 3:25 a.m., Murray was standing on the 7800 block of South Jeffery when someone in a dark-colored car opened fire, said Officer Janel Sedevic, a Chicago Police spokeswoman.
"He was pronounced dead at the scene. No one is in custody," Sedevic said.
His uncle said he was missing a wallet, a phone and his licensed handgun.
"He didn't have any problems with anyone, no prior records, nothing," Muhammad said. "He didn't bother anyone."
"He wasn't about the gangs. This is just another senseless killing," Cain said.
"He was a free spirit. Loved his family and enjoyed life. He just wanted to take care of his mother," Muhammad said.
Murray's death comes a few days after Camerion Blair was shot and killed returning a video game to a friend in the 7300 Block of South Shore Drive in South Shore.
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