Mother of teen killed in Washington Park shooting seeks strength in memories, community

Kysha Davis said her son was with friends he had grown up with when the gunshots came out of nowhere.

The teenage boys stopped in a neighborhood store in Washington Park to get an afternoon snack. That’s when a car passed and its occupant opened fire.

Illinois State Police and Major Crimes agents from District 11 Zone 6 were dispatched to 45th Street and Bunkum Road, where the boys were walking, at approximately 4:35 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, Illinois State Police stated through a release.

Four boys were struck by bullets in the drive-by shooting. Three of them were transported to area hospitals for treatments of their wounds. Their conditions are not being released.

A single bullet hit Johnny McCline in the chest, killing him instantly, his mother said. The St. Clair County Coroner’s office pronounced him dead at the scene.

“I want justice for my son. Whoever is responsible I want the police to find them,” said Davis. “He was 13 years old. These guns have to be taken out of the hands of the people who are using them to hurt people.

“I am sick of the killings.”

Davis was backed by members of the Washington Park community at the scene of the shooting near the Roosevelt Homes Tuesday afternoon. They shared their fond memories of McCline and released balloons in his honor.

Davis says her son has joined his grandma, great-grandma, auntie and cousins in heaven. It’s not the first time tragedy has touched her family.

Five of McCline’s young cousins – ranging in age from 2 to 9 years old – died alone in their apartment in a fire on 29th Street in East St. Louis in August of last year. Their mother, Sabrina Dunnigan, has been charged with child endangerment in connection with their deaths.

“They can all protect each other now,” Davis said. ”Lil’ Johnny was the life of the party. He was bubbly, always making people laugh.”

In addition to his mother, McCline is survived by three older brothers and an older sister.

Community leaders, including Washington Park Mayor Leonard Moore, expressed both outrage and grief at the news of the fatal shooting. Superintendent Arthur Culver issued a statement on behalf of East St. Louis School District 189, extending condolences to the family and offering grief support to the boys’ classmates at Mason-Clark Middle School.

Davis said she had texted and telephoned back and forth with McCline throughout the day that he was killed. The two last parted company at about 1 p.m. and she was expecting his return when she received the tragic news.

She has no idea who would want to hurt any of the four boys, who were all 15 or younger. And she’s had no issues with anybody at the Roosevelt Homes, where she’s lived for 16 years, she said.

“He didn’t hang out in the streets or with the wrong people. He had just gotten into the projects a few minutes before he was killed,” Davis said.

Davis said the streets “always talk” and she heard that the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, though investigators have not released any known motives.

“I heard the boy the shooter was looking for wore his hair exactly like Johnny,” she said.

Police have released few details. They are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 1-866-TIPS or the Illinois State Police at 618-571-4124.

Davis said she counters the grief of her loss by thinking good thoughts of her son.

“It’s hard, but he no longer has any pain or anything to worry about. He is in a better place,” she said.

She said McCline stood tall and was confident like “the image of a soldier.

“If he had something to say he would say it,” Davis said. “I was always very proud of my son. He was smart and his life had purpose.”

The words of those gathered at the crime scene Tuesday brought comfort to Davis as well, she said.

“He truly was a gift from God. I am thankful and blessed he was my son,” she said. “I am grateful and thankful to have the 13 years he was in my life.

“I wish I could have gotten more time. I should have gotten more time. My baby did not deserve this.”

This story was originally published November 25, 2022 at 7:00 AM.