AUBURN GRESHAM — Nine-year-old Tyshawn Lee spent his last moments playing on the swings in the Dawes Park playground before he was brutally murdered.
Six months later, a Chicago Police officer is calling on the city to name the playground for the South Side boy.
Officer John Bertetto has been working his way through Chicago bureaucrats with his proposal for the past month, sharing the process on Twitter.
Last week, he formally submitted his request to the Chicago Park District's board to name the Dawes Park playground the Tyshawn Lee Memorial Playground. Ald. Derrick Curtis (18th) supports the proposal, Bertetto said.
Curtis could not be reached immediately for comment.
On Nov. 2, Tyshawn was playing in the park, 8052 S. Damen Ave., when gunman Dwright Boone-Doty, 22, lured him into an alley and shot him to death, prosecutors said.
Kevin Edwards last week became the third man arrested in Tyshawn's slaying, accused of being the getaway driver after Boone-Doty and accomplice Corey Morgan fled. All three are being held without bail.
It's not the first time Bertetto has taken it upon himself to honor a Chicago child whose life was cut short.
In April, he raised $5,550 for an SUV that staff from Johnson College Prep High School could use to transport students to extracurricular activities. Bertetto started the #DriveForDemario campaign in memory of Demario Bailey. The Englewood teen was killed in 2014 as he walked to basketball practice a few days before his 16th birthday.
RELATED: Saddened By Boy's Slaying, Officer Sets Out To Make Route To School Safe
The school will receive the SUV this week, Bertetto tweeted.
Detailers done w/ the #DriveForDemario vehicle. Will pick it up tomorrow, turnover tentatively sched for this Thurs. pic.twitter.com/A9JMixtLlh
— John A. Bertetto (@ChiTownCopper) May 24, 2016
Once the park district receives a request to name a city playground, the community has 45 days to provide feedback on the proposal. The park district board then needs to vote on the request.
The board's next meeting is set for June 8.
As explained to me as proper process, below letter mailed on 18May. 18th Ward Ald Office pledges letter of support. pic.twitter.com/pL4Dmg8TQG
— John A. Bertetto (@ChiTownCopper) May 25, 2016
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