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CHICAGO (WLS) — On Saturday, family and friends came together to honor the memory of a high school basketball player who tragically lost his life while traveling in an Uber on Chicago’s West Side.
Eighteen-year-old Damarion Johnson and the Uber driver, identified by relatives as 38-year-old Jassen Cho, were fatally shot shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Thursday in the 200 block of North Homan Avenue, located in the city’s Garfield Park neighborhood.
Johnson had been a dedicated participant in Project sWISH Chicago, a basketball initiative aimed at supporting inner-city youth. Heartbreakingly, he is the second teenager associated with the program to fall victim to gun violence since November.
On Saturday, members of Project sWISH gathered at Homan Square Park to hold a vigil and release balloons in his honor, celebrating a life filled with potential and promise.
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During the tribute, every dribble and expertly executed fadeaway by sWISH members served as a poignant reminder of their fallen teammate, whose presence is deeply missed on and off the basketball court.
“This is the place where they fellowship every Saturday, right? So, this Saturday is no different, except we’re not here celebrating with him. We’re celebrating for him,” Project sWISH Chicago founder McKinley Nelson said. “Hope the family doesn’t mind, but we took it upon ourselves to put this memorial together for our little brother.”
Members of Project sWISH Chicago came together alongside Johnson’s family at Homan Square Park to remember him in an emotional balloon release.
“He was telling me that he was about to go home, going to call me, and I, basically, said, ‘Okay,’” Johnson’s cousin Rejiveon Hudson said. “Then after that happened, I got the news that this happened, and I was completely devastated.”
Security video obtained by ABC7 showed the moments when a gray SUV pulled up beside Johnson’s ride before someone in the backseat of the SUVleans out of the window and opens fire on the white car, killing the teenager and the driver, who relatives identified as 38-year-old Jassen Cho. He was a financial analyst, DePaul University grad and Albany Park native who drove for the rideshare company as a side job and died days before celebrating his one-year anniversary with his girlfriend.
The shooting happened before the high school student, who attended Christ the King Jesuit College Prep, was supposed to commit to a college with a full-ride basketball scholarship.
“The tragedy of this whole thing is that we had an official visit set up in a couple of weeks with a school in Wisconsin,” said Troy Caldwell, head varsity basketball coach at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep.
“This is really an unfortunate situation,” said Jason Sanford, Interim Chicago Deputy Mayor of Community Safety. “We’re working hard. The Chicago Police Department, working on the investigation.”
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“We wanted to push each other to be the best that we can,” Hudson said. “We wanted to make it out with this basketball stuff. But, I’m going to keep on pushing just for his name.”
Police have not given a motive behind the shooting, and so far, no arrests have been made. Uber says it is working closely with law enforcement.
“There are no words to describe this tragic loss of life, and our thoughts are with the victims’ loved ones during this difficult time,” an Uber 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.”
The founder of Project sWISH Chicago told ABC7 the mayor’s office has agreed to pay for Damarion Johnson’s funeral expenses.
Grief counselors are available at Johnson’s high school.
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