EDGEWATER — The mother of Devone Matthews is raising money to help cover funeral expenses after her son was shot June 26 while working his shift at an Edgewater car wash.
Shana Matthews described her 21-year-old son as someone "caring" and "always willing to help others" in a statement on her GoFundMe campaign page, which had raised about $350 as of Monday afternoon.
"Our son was...outstanding," she wrote, adding Matthews "had beautiful soul" and was an "amazing young man."
Devone Matthews' mother is raising money to help pay for funeral costs. [DNAinfo/Facebook]
His coworkers at the car wash provided similar accounts of Matthews, saying he was a quiet, dependable friend who they could always count on for a smile.
Kate Kinser, a Rogers Park resident who used to work as a pastor at a juvenile detention center, said she was all too familiar with stories like Matthews' and had been trying to reach out to his mother to see what help she could provide.
Kinser said oftentimes she would see young men and boys "very much like their counterparts in rich neighborhoods" but sometimes came from families that lacked the support they needed to get out of trouble with a warning or fine, rather than jail or detention.
"Although I did not know Devone, I have known many young men like him who are trying to find their way after making mistakes during adolescence, and who may have nominal membership in a gang because that's the only way to give oneself social protection," Kinser said. "They are collateral damage from a broken system of justice."
On the day he was killed, Matthews was standing with two other coworkers in an employee designated area near the entrance to the facility's automated car washing garage when a man walked in, brandished a gun and shot Matthews in the back before hopping a fence and fleeing on foot across the street.
His coworkers said Matthews "deserved better".
Fellow employees and his mother both said he was a warm man determined to succeed on the job.
"Devon was...hard working [and] had a soul that will light up a room," she wrote. "Devon never turned his back on his family or friends."
Now, neighbors who have read about Matthews' death are looking to reach out to offer his family support.
Kinser and other neighbors have expressed wishes to send cards, bring over hot meals and help carry some of the financial burden of Matthews' funeral.
"May the angels lead you into paradise, Devone, you deserved more from us," Kinser said.
Shana Matthews could not be reached for comment.
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