The Unsolved Murder of Tyjuan Poindexter
Chicago, Illinois | September 19, 2015
It was the kind of request children make every day.
“Can I go outside?”
Tyjuan Poindexter’s mother had always tried to keep her son close and safe. But on the evening of September 19, 2015, the 14-year-old convinced her to let him go outside for a little while.
She never imagined it would be the last time she saw her son alive.
A 14-Year-Old Freshman With His Life Ahead of Him
Tyjuan was a freshman at Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago. He loved wrestling, and his family said he was not involved in gangs or the streets. He was simply a teenager trying to enjoy his life.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., Tyjuan was walking with friends in the 4400 block of South Greenwood Avenue in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood when a vehicle approached.
According to police and witnesses, someone inside the vehicle opened fire on the group.
Tyjuan was struck in the head and died at the scene.
Another 15-year-old boy was shot twice in the leg but survived.
Investigators Examined an Earlier Altercation
As detectives investigated the shooting, they examined reports of an altercation between two groups at nearby Kennicott Park earlier that evening.
Some reports have suggested that Tyjuan may not have been the intended target.
Despite investigators following leads in the case, no arrests were made.
As of 2026, the murder of Tyjuan Poindexter remains unsolved.
His Family Is Still Waiting for Justice
Tyjuan’s family has continued searching for answers and refusing to allow his name to become just another cold case.
He was only 14 years old.
He had asked his mother for permission to go outside for a little while. She said yes to a request countless parents hear from their children every day.
Minutes later, her son was gone.
Anyone with information regarding the murder of Tyjuan Poindexter is urged to contact the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at 708-865-4700 or Cook County Crime Stoppers at 800-535-STOP (7867).
© The Vivid Faces of the Vanished