EAST GARFIELD PARK — Tributes are pouring in for the West Side high school student and the Uber driver who were killed while driving in East Garfield Park Thursday.
Jassen Cho, 38, and Damarion Johnson, 18, were driving around 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the 200 block of North Homan Avenue when a grey SUV pulled up alongside them and someone from inside the SUV opened fire, according to police and media reports.
Cho, was struck in his arm and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Johnson was shot multiple times and was taken by paramedics to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The SUV believed to be used in the shooting was found blocks away from the crime scene, and the car had been set ablaze, according to the Sun-Times.
Cho was working as an Uber driver and was driving Johnson when the two were shot, according to media reports. Their deaths have been ruled a homicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Johnson was a senior at Christ the King College Prep in Austin and had just finished his final season of high school basketball when he was killed, according to his social media accounts. He had received offers to play college basketball from North Park University and Maharishi International University in Iowa, he said on X.com.
Johnson was also involved with Project sWish, a community group that organizes community basketball games to promote peace in neighborhoods hit hard by gun violence. The group paid tribute to Johnson on social media, calling him a “light in our community.”
“His passion for the game, his funny and vibrant personality and the way he lifted everyone around him left a lasting impact on all who had the privilege of knowing him,” the group said in a video posted to Instagram. “The gym, the planes, the busses, etc., will never feel the same without his energy, his smile, his jokes and the heart he brought to the program.”
Cho attended Palatine High School and DePaul University and lived in Chicago at the time of his death, according to his LinkedIn and the medical examiner’s office.
He worked as a financial analyst and also drove for Uber to make extra money, according to WGN.
“[Cho] always looked out for his friends. He had such a gentle heart and treated everyone with kindness and respect,” a family friend of Cho’s shared on Facebook. “To know that his life was cut short in such horrific violence is impossible to comprehend.”
And Uber spokesperson said the company has been in touch with police and will continue to support the investigation.
“There are no words to describe this tragic loss of life, and our thoughts are with the victims’ loved ones during this difficult time,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re doing everything we can to support police during their investigation, and we hope those responsible are brought to swift justice.”
No arrests have been made in the shooting, police said.
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