HARVEY, Ill. (WLS) — In a tragic incident, Keshawn Lewis-Hunt, once a promising football player hailing from Morgan Park High School and Eastern Illinois University, was shot and killed during a birthday gathering at his grandmother’s home in Harvey. The untimely event unfolded on Monday, as confirmed by local police and his grieving family.
According to authorities, the 20-year-old Lewis-Hunt sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the midst of a house party held on 160th Street and Ashland Avenue. The shooting reportedly occurred shortly after 1:15 a.m., shattering the peace of the night.
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The investigation revealed that a heated dispute erupted between two women at the celebration. In a gallant attempt to defuse the situation, Lewis-Hunt stepped in to mediate the altercation, a decision that tragically led to him being shot.
“As you was trying to break it up, break up a girl fight, you wind up getting shot,” his brother, Konya Hunt, recounted with palpable anguish.
The loss has left a profound void among Lewis-Hunt’s family, friends, and the wider community, including former coaches who witnessed his growth as both an accomplished athlete and a remarkable young man.
Nathan Irons, Lewis-Hunt’s former youth football coach, said he began coaching him when he was 7 years old.
“To watch somebody grow up, and they get taken away from you – that’s the worst feeling I got right now,” Irons said.
Irons described Lewis-Hunt as someone who routinely sought to calm conflicts rather than create them.
“Key went out being who he was; always trying to de-escalate a situation. He didn’t care for the drama,” Irons said.
Lewis-Hunt later died at a hospital. His death ended aspirations of playing professional football, leaving loved ones mourning the loss of a young man they said had a promising future.
“Right now, I don’t even know because I’m not supposed to have last words for him,” Irons said as he cried.
Police said two other men were injured in the shooting. Family members said one of the injured men was Lewis-Hunt’s cousin, whose birthday was being celebrated.
No arrests have been announced, and the investigation remains ongoing.
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