About six years ago, Reverend Robin Hood recalls his grandson, Ra-Shaun Hood, trying to teach him how to use Cash App, an app that lets people send and receive money. Hood joked that his grandson told him he was a dinosaur.
“I said ‘well, as long as I’m a Tyrannosaurus rex, I’m fine,'” Hood replied.
Hood, a prominent Chicago pastor and community activist, shared some of his favorite memories of his grandson, who was fatally shot Friday night. He also called for action to end gun violence, a cause he has championed for much of his career.
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The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Ra-Shaun Hood died following a shooting in Auburn Gresham on Friday night. Police said they found an unidentified boy on the sidewalk of the 1200 block of West 81st Street around 10:15 p.m. with gunshot wounds to the chest.
The Chicago Fire Department transported the 16-year-old to Comer Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said no one was in custody as of Sunday morning and they are still investigating the case.
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Hood, who described his grandson as “energetic” and “a decent good boy,” said the teenager played basketball and baseball and was on his way to being a junior in high school. His family called him “little man” because he was short in stature, Hood added.
Hood said he also remembers when his grandson was around 4 years old and he continued to be called Robin Hood Jr. instead of Ra-Shaun.
“He was so proud of that last name, Hood,” he said. “I called him and said, ‘Boy, your name is not Robin Hood Jr., your name is Ra-Shaun.'”
Hood referenced a 2005 Chicago Tribune article about the death of his cousin, Michael Stigler. The article said that Hood had “led rallies against the violence and comforted the families of the dead”, “but this time the family was his own”.
“It brought me back to this place,” Hood said. “What I recognize is that I’m not as bad mentally, because it still hurts. I still felt the pain, and that lets me know that I’m not numb.
Hood said several members of his family died from gun violence, but his grandson is the first member of his family to die so young. The rest of his family is in mourning, Hood said.
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He said the death of his grandson prompted him to recommit to limiting gun violence in Chicago, which he says affects thousands of people in the city.
“It will affect his friends. It will affect the people who went to school with him. It’s going to affect the neighbors,” Hood said.
Hood said gun violence is an epidemic and people should start playing politics in order to help solve the problem.
Chicago Police Department data shows that in the first half of 2023, Chicago recorded 304 murders, a 7% decrease from the first six months of 2022, when the city recorded 328 murders. The city recorded another 844 non-fatal shootings in the first half of this year, compared to 904 in the first six months of 2022.
However, despite the decline, Hood said people of all ages in Chicago suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder due to violence.
“Everyone is on deck for the violence,” Hood said. “Because your grandson could be next. Your daughter could be next. Your child could be next. Your son could be next. Your mother could be next.
“This gun violence is really a level playing field,” Hood added. “Anyone, no matter where you live, how much money you make, what nationality, race, creed, color or religion, it doesn’t discriminate. It’s going to take us all – from the White House to the outhouse.
