ENGLEWOOD — Gerald Sias, a father of five who family members said was "always there" for his kids, was shot dead while getting his hair cut at an Englewood barbershop Thursday afternoon, police and witnesses said.
Around 3:10 p.m., someone walked up to Powell's Barber Shop, 1139 W. 63rd St., and fired shots into the business, according to Officer Thomas Sweeney, a Chicago Police spokesman.
Sias, 37, was brought to Stroger Hospital with a gunshot wound in his arm, Sweeney said. He was later pronounced dead.
Another man, 36, was shot in his leg and also brought to Stroger Hospital, Sweeney said. Police could not immediately provide his condition.
After the shooting, a large crowd gathered around the crime scene, linked arms and prayed.
Sias's 8-year-old son, Jarrelle, stood quietly in the parking lot as friends and family members took turns hugging and consoling him.
Jarrelle's aunt, Latanya Johnson, had been registering children for her summer youth program when she heard Sias had been shot.
"It was so upsetting to me, I didn't even know what to think," said Johnson, whose sister is Jarrelle's mother. "[Sias] was so quiet and laid back...people really liked him. He was no troublemaker. I don't know why anyone would do this."
Johnson said she often saw Sias picking up Jarrelle from the youth activities she ran.
"He was always there for his kids," she said. "If they needed anything, he'd drop everything and get to them."
"He took me everywhere," Jarrelle chimed in. "Restaurants and stuff. We went to Chuck E. Cheese a lot."
As Keon Price walked by the scene with her twin 11-year-old kids, she prayed aloud that they would never face the same situation as Jarrelle.
"I keep them out of trouble, but my concern is that they have to see this kind of thing every day," said Price, who lives in Englewood. "I teach them respect, and trust in God. Other than that, all I can do is pray."
Powell's was a filming location for Spike Lee's Chi-raq, according to the Tribune.
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