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Bridgeport Dad Shot Dead In Drug Deal, Prosecutors Say

By  Erica Demarest and Joe Ward | October 21, 2017 12:01am | Updated on October 23, 2017 8:22am

 Joshua Rayborn (left) was gunned down in Bridgeport in September. Emilio Chavez (right) is charged with first-degree murder.
Joshua Rayborn (left) was gunned down in Bridgeport in September. Emilio Chavez (right) is charged with first-degree murder.
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Instagram; Cook County Sheriff's Office

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A Bridgeport father killed last month was gunned down in a drug deal, prosecutors said Friday.

Emilio Chavez, 18, is charged with first-degree murder in the Sep. 18 slaying that took place about 11 p.m. in the 2900 block of South Archer Avenue.

RELATED: 'Family Man' Joshua Rayborn Killed Outside His Bridgeport Apartment

According to prosecutors, Chavez had arranged to buy marijuana from 28-year-old Joshua Rayborn. The men communicated via text message before meeting on the first floor of Rayborn's apartment building Sep. 18.

Chavez is accused of pulling out a loaded 9mm handgun and shooting Rayborn in his chest. A bag of marijuana Rayborn was carrying dropped to the ground, Assistant State's Attorney Jamie Santini said during a bond hearing Friday at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, 2650 S. California Ave.

Despite his gunshot wound, Rayborn tried to wrestle away Chavez's gun, prosecutors said.

The gun's slide assembly and barrel broke away from the rest of the weapon, Santini said. Chavez used the part of the gun he still held to beat Rayborn to the floor before stealing the marijuana bag and running away, according to prosecutors.

A neighbor who heard the commotion called 911.

Rayborn was rushed to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Police on the scene recovered the bottom half of the broken gun, which contained multiple fingerprints linking Chavez to the murder, Santini said. When Chavez was arrested Wednesday, officers found the top half of the gun in his car.

Cook County Judge Michael Clancy on Friday denied Chavez bail.

Relatives last month said Rayborn was married with two children, who were home at the time of the shooting. He was an aspiring rapper.

Cousin Erica Benavidez described Rayborn as laser-focused on his family and music career, which had begun to show promise. His mother and aunts relied on him for support, which he provided happily, friends said.

"He was a family man," Benavidez said. "He wasn't out here gangbanging. That's what he put first — his family and his music. ... He was a good person. He just wanted to perform."