NORTH LAWNDALE — Javon Wilson swore he would never die in a shooting.
Javon's friend, Eneal Davenport, 16, said the two of them made that promise after a mutual friend was shot three times. The friend recovered, and Javon and Eneal told each other: We'd survive.
It was that promise that made it all the harder for Eneal to go to Wilson's funeral Saturday, he said.
"We were just saying that we would never die," Eneal said. "We were never afraid of getting shot because we always thought that we would never die and we would always survive.
"I miss him. It hurts just to see him gone."
Javon's friend, choked up, said they told each other they'd never die in a shooting. He hopes to see Javon in heaven one day. pic.twitter.com/QPWEwsZWd0
— Kelly Bauer (@BauerJournalism) November 26, 2016
Javon, the 15-year-old grandson of Rep. Danny Davis, was in his home when he was shot and killed over a fight over gym shoes, police said. Two teens have been charged in his death.
Hundreds of people — including Rep. Bobby Rush, Rev. Jesse Jackson and former Gov. Pat Quinn — went to Javon's wake and funeral, packing Carey Tercentenary Church until more chairs had to be brought in and some guests had to stand or listen from outside.
Javon was funny, speakers said over and over, their voices catching as they told the crowd of mourners stories about the teen: He insisted on trying to beat friends at video games even when they kept winning, he messed with his aunt's shoes and he loved to irritate his sister, Khalyiah.
Javon's sister gives him the kind of sweet, funny tribute only a sibling could.https://t.co/CXlYBpGIPM pic.twitter.com/Gy4jNaOAGa
— Kelly Bauer (@BauerJournalism) November 26, 2016
The boy was also a peacemaker and a big bother who cared for his sister and brothers, was passionate about music but also loved oldies, and he excelled at math, speakers said.
"He was a very loving and caring person," Khalyiah said. Laughing, she added, "He was so irritating, though! ... You couldn't stay mad at him. ... He was so funny. That's one thing my brother was, was funny."
And when Javon looked ahead to the future, he told family members he wasn't sure what he wanted to do — but he wanted to make sure it was great and important, speakers said.
Those who spoke said Javon's life could still be great and called for his death to be the first step in a path toward change for Chicago, which has seen nearly 700 people killed so far this year.
"This city is Chiraq," Rush said, referencing the Spike Lee movie. But "we can move Chiraq into Chi-righteousness."
Jackson echoed those calls, saying it was "time to fight back" against gun violence. Every child's life should matter, he said.
Davis also criticized how some neighborhoods have been overlooked in Chicago, and in a statement he said he was also upset "with the society and the systems that spawned" the people who killed Javon.
"We have not invested in inner-city communities. We have not invested in our schools ...," Davis told the mourners. "We have not created jobs. We have not created a feeling of hope that our children need to have.
"Not only do I grieve for my family, not only do I grieve for Javon's family ... but I am so glad the good Lord gives me the spirit [that I] can grieve for the young man who pulled the trigger."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here.
