January 12th, 2011, would be the day that changed Chicago gang member and alleged female assassin Gakirah Barnes aka KI forever.
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It was the day she lost someone dear to her heart, Shondale Gregory aka Tooka
at a bus stop in 63rd and St. Lawrence in the Woodlawn neighborhood in South Side Chicago https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/police-boy-16-killed-in-possible-gang-related-shooting/ (0:00-0:17)
The pain and hurt his passing inflicted would sink her deeper into the already grief-stricken lifestyle she endured due to her affiliations. Gakirah Barnes was a member of the SLT/EBT set which was renamed Tookaville in honor of their fallen comrade. That murder of Shondale solidified their bond as sworn enemies with the rival set WIIC City which would later be renamed O Block
KI was enraged with a mix of emotions from the tragedy and was on a warpath for revenge. This allegedly led to the murder of respected WIIC City member Odee Perry
who was gunned down on August 10th 2011 and subsequently succumbed to his injuries
This homicide was the reason WIIC City renamed itself O Block in honor of Odee Perry, just as STL/EBT did for Tooka infamous O Block
Gakirah’s next decisions were critical to the events that led to her life being taken. Due to her taunts and posts online insinuating she was responsible for the retaliation murder, a target was placed on her back. Gakirah aka KI posted pictures online with her holding Odee Perry’s gun which created the assumption in the minds of her rivals that she was the shooter
She would take things a dangerous step further, disrespecting the death of Odee Perry and finding humor in the tragedy as a way to poke fun at her rivals
Coupled with hints by close gang affiliates like FBG Wooski
who also gave credit to KI along with another assailant Butta for Odee Perry’s murder, she was made the face of the assassination and her rivals wanted her life as payment
By now it was too late to turn back. Even the authorities were investigating her as one of the main suspects for the murder of Odee Perry
KI, with all eyes on her, continued to fuel the rage of her rivals by purposefully using her twitter platform to take jabs at their masculinity, send threats, and disrespect their home, O Block
But, in doing so, she found herself in the crosshairs of one of O Block’s most notorious gangsters, Dayvon Bennett aka King Von
The strange thing about what the two displayed online was their somewhat affection for each other, almost in a flirtatious banter kind of way.
Then in subsequent tweets, they were at the throats of each other and it was there you started seeing the rivalry rear its head
In hindsight, the twisted mentality of those living that lifestyle was seen in a documentary on Gakirah Barnes’ life, where they interviewed King Von, who unbeknownst to them, was the alleged main culprit in her murder. And in that interview, King Von spoke as if he had emotions for her and wanted to engage in sexual relations https://youtu.be/YsAUDXWrBA4 (0:00-0:29) To the interviewers and Gakirah’s friend who was also interviewed, King Von wanted to be romantically engaged with Gakirah as her boyfriend, but to Gakirah who knew the inner workings of the gang culture and the devious nature of the man she was dealing with, she thought that King Von was only trying to set her up and take her life https://youtu.be/YsAUDXWrBA4 (0:30-0:50)
KI, even though having this feeling that King Von wanted to murder her, didn’t step away from the lifestyle she portrayed. Instead, she went deeper in. September 2nd 2013, one of King Von’s affiliates Jerome Wood aka J Money was murdered in the 6600 block of South Rhodes Avenue in Woodlawn
KI would again take the opportunity to insinuate that she was the one responsible for ending the life of J Money https://youtu.be/2u9d_aaFZyQ
February 11th 2014, she would take direct aim at King Von in a tweet taunting him for losing his comrades while he was locked up behind bars
King Von would get word of her disrespect and reminded her of the persons’ lives he took in return that belonged to her camp.
KI was poking at a bear and her time was soon at an end. April 11th 2014, the day she would take her last breath came. That day she was up and about being who she was. By now her name had spread through the streets as someone to be feared as a killer. She embraced that label and maybe that’s what led to her recklessness that resulted in her life being lost.
For whatever reason. KI decided to get on twitter and announce her whereabouts publicly. Now, her rivals had her location.
She was, as the crime underworld would say “testing their gangster” to prove that they cannot harm her as she was more gangster than them. It turned out, she was wrong. At that time, she was allegedly with her right-hand man and close affiliate, Butta
Her assailants would arrive to her location where they found he walking with her friend. They would brandish firearms firing several bullets which collided multiple times with KI. She would suffer injuries to her mouth, neck, and chest, a total of 9 times on the 6400 block of South Eberhart Avenue. Eyewitnesses state KI ran and collapsed on the porch fighting for her life https://youtu.be/yXSiuDFyW7s (0:43-1:00)
Evidently, Gakirah Barnes aka KI would succumb to her injuries at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after trying her best to stay alive. Her time of death was 5:43 p.m.
In the aftermath, King Von would become the main suspect in the homicide, but he was never charged for the crime. Sadly, Von himself would meet his end after an altercation with rapper Quando Rondo
outside a club in Atlanta named the Monaco Hookah Lounge. It was there that Qunado’s affiliate, Timothy Leeks aka Lul Tim
shot King Von while a scuffle between King Von and Quando Rondo ensued.
King Von would be rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries https://youtu.be/vIJnUlryqw0
It would be after both King Von and KI lost their lives that documents from law enforcement would bring to light details in the case of Gakirah Barnes homicide. According to the documents, it listed their main suspect in her murder as King Von.
Apparently, the information was obtained when someone did a FOIA Request which is The Freedom of Information Act. This states that the public has access to information on the activities of the Government and can request a copy of any document from a public authority, such as a government ministry, department or statutory body.
The document obtained extended to 300 pages with numerous sections detailing how King Von orchestrated the murder of KI
The report states that KI was with two other persons at 6451 S.Eberhart when a male in a grey hoodie and blue jeans approached their direction. The offender then brandished a handgun and began firing towards KI and her affiliates. It was in these documents it was found that Gakirah wasn’t the only one injured but all three of them were inflicted with gunshot wounds. The shooter then made their escape in a vehicle.
The investigation revealed the one they pinned as responsible for pulling the trigger was Dayvon Bennett aka King Von. It also states the reason why he wasn’t arrested and put on trial for the murder while he was alive. Even though he was positively identified, law enforcement wasn’t confident they had the evidence to prove that he was in fact the one responsible for the taking of Gakirah Barnes’ life.
Two futures that could have been so bright taken away due to the senseless lifestyle and culture of being in a gang and what comes with it. How many more until it’s realized by the youth that there’s no happy ending, just pain and loss? KI wasn’t naive to the life she lived. She knew the risks and accepted the fate she knew was coming. In her mind, she was certain her time would arrive one day, but she found some solace in the fact that her name would be recognized as a real one in her passing. Such shallow reasoning to throw your life away for.
If only she saw the true worth of her life. If only they all could see the true worth of their lives and how much they would accomplish together rather than fighting each other.
A promising girl who had so much ahead of her, but she became another statistic detailing a youth that was swallowed up by the gang culture and left 6 feet deep within a grave. Rest in peace KI https://youtu.be/yXSiuDFyW7s (0:16-0:37)
Chad Mauli
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