Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Wicker Park Shooting Victim, Emmanuel 'Face' Bass, Dies

By  Alisa Hauser Emily Morris and Kyla Gardner | September 11, 2013 3:23pm | Updated on September 11, 2013 8:31pm

 Emmanuel Bass died days after being shot in Wicker Park, officials said.
Emmanuel Bass
View Full Caption

CHICAGO — A father who had been scarred by gunfire five years earlier died after being shot again last week in Wicker Park, authorities said.

Emmanuel Bass, 35, was pronounced dead at 8:59 a.m. Wednesday at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Bass was shot in the leg in the 1400 block of North Damen Avenue, inside the park, about 11:34 p.m. Friday. Another man, 29, was also hit and rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Bass was taken to Stroger Hospital, police said.

Bass was engaged to be married and had a 1-year-old daughter, Emma, with his fiancee, said his sister Erika Huntley, 34, Wednesday.

Bass was the second youngest of nine children, and had lived in Wicker Park his entire life.

 Two men were shot in Wicker Park at 11:34 p.m. Friday.
Wicker Park Shooting
View Full Caption

Bass suffered a gunshot wound to his face five years ago and was known as "Face" around the park. But he did not let the scarring affect him, Huntley said.

"He sang, he rapped, he did not let it get in his way," Huntley said, also remembering her brother as a kind soul.

"My brother was lively, he would help anybody," she said.

The gunshot to Bass' leg hit an artery, and the excessive bleeding caused damage to his liver and kidneys, which required him to be hooked up to tubes all week, Huntley said.

"We are praying to God the person [who shot him] will turn himself in. We are letting the police do their job," Huntley said of the investigation.

Hours after his death, family and friends met with Duwan Driver, pastor at Bethel Jerusalem Apostolic Temple to discuss a strategy for paying for Bass' funeral. They said they'll have to raise at least $5,000 to pay for the services and are currently accepting donations at the church, 1305 W. Chicago Ave. in West Town.

After the shooting, residents expressed their fear about crime from the park spilling into the streets.

"All we try to do is keep the park safe so law-abiding citizens of all races and ages can come to the park," Doug Wood, a 20-year resident of the area, said Saturday. "Before 2002, people didn't feel safe to go to the park. Now, it's starting all over."

A 20-year-old man who said he knew Bass his entire life said he though there could be retaliation among gang members as a result of Bass's death. At the scene Friday, police said the shooting appeared to be gang-related.