Memorial planned for Belleville teen who died after being shot near skateboard park
A memorial visitation will be held Saturday for a Belleville teen who died from injuries sustained in a shooting near a city skateboard park.
Hayden Chisholm, 16, a junior at Belleville East High School, spent nearly three months “fighting for his life” before he died on Dec. 28, according to family spokeswoman Carrie Gonzalez, longtime partner of his father, Jeremy Chisholm, of Belleville.
Hayden had been shot eight times during an altercation with two other teens, family and police said. Jalyn A. Givens, 19, of unincorporated Belleville, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting.
The long hours that Hayden’s family members were spending at his bedside at St. Louis University Hospital have been replaced with grief and emptiness, Gonzales said Wednesday.
“We’re holding up,” she said. “We haven’t been doing much. We go to the grocery store, but that’s the extent of it. His dad has been trying to get out of the house because it just reminds him of what’s missing.”
The shooting occurred just before 7 p.m. Oct. 5 along North Second Street as Hayden and a friend were walking from Belleville Skateboard Park.
Hayden’s family will hold a memorial visitation from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Cornerstone Christian Church in Shiloh. They released an obituary on Wednesday that described his “kind heart and gentle nature.”
“As a junior at Belleville Township High School East, he was known as a goofball who brought laughter and happiness everywhere he went,” the obituary reads. “He had an infectious smile and was loved by all. His unique and compassionate soul made it easy for him to make friends of all kinds.
“Hayden loved his pets and animals, spending time outdoors, whether it was exploring nature or engaging in his favorite activities like skating and cruising in the side by side. He enjoyed playing video games and was known for his love of Crocs and beanies year round.”
Hayden also is survived by his mother, Tracy Carthy, of St. Louis, and brother, Hunter Chisholm, of Belleville, as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins throughout Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Belleville Humane Society in honor of Hayden’s love for animals. Or people can help with funeral expenses through a GoFundMe campaign.
Last week, Belleville police reported that Givens, then identified as a Cahokia Heights resident, had been taken into custody in Dellwood, Missouri, near Ferguson, with help from U.S. Marshal Service agents.
Givens later was extradited to Illinois. He’s charged with first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in connection with Hayden’s shooting.
A St. Clair County prosecutor at Givens’ pretrial detention hearing on Wednesday said the shooting involved a dispute over a “cannabis sale.” A judge ruled that he must remain in jail.
Police also are investigating a 17-year-old suspect who hasn’t been named, according to Gonzalez.
“That’s what truly upsets me,” she said Wednesday. “There is a 17-year-old walking the halls of a high school somewhere who has contributed to this, and that person is dangerous, and people are sending their kids to school, and they aren’t being made aware of who he is.”
Last month, Assistant Belleville Police Chief Mark Heffernan said he couldn’t comment on any juvenile suspects in the case.
BND reporter Mike Koziatek contributed to this story.
