Link shared

Angel Maldenado

Age 17

Chicago, Illinois

Thrown off his bike by bullets

His friends affectionately nicknamed him “Shorty,” and “Sosa,” a reference to the South Side Chicago rapper Chief Keef.

He would often ride his bike through the Back of the Yards neighborhood, sometimes stopping to help neighbors put away their groceries.

On Sept. 12, 2018, Angel Maldenado, 17, was shot and killed riding his bike through his neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. As family and friends struggled to pay for funeral services and a headstone, they released blue and white balloons that represented their love for him a week after his death.

By Mary Claire Molloy · Age 18
Meet the Reporters

More than 200 friends

Saniyah Monee Nicholson

Funny faces and pigtails no longer

Tyrese A. Jones

He was beloved at his school

Unknown

Shot while walking down the street

Kameron Johnson

He dreamed of college and cars

Kameron Porter

Domestic violence ends a stepson’s life

Jacob Matthew Edwards

A survivor, full of heart. Gone.

Corey Donald II

He had just started barber school

Floyd Chianti Davenport IV

“Baba stay woke...Baba stay woke!”

Kelvion’te A. Trammell

Engine still running, no life left

Clinton Howell

A daily trip that turned deadly

Jayvone J. Shackelford-Bishop

Friends together like Lilo & Stitch

Joel Keshon Green

An interrupted trail of Facebook photos

Fernando Perez

“What is it going to take?”

Delametric Djuan Fairley

Never got to make travel plans

Moltere Charles Jr.

#TGFAD — Thank God for another day

Oliver Santos

Big smile stolen on Saturday night

Darryl Lamar Johnson

A family visit. He never left.

Xavier Montrail Thomas

Candles flicker against darkness for Zay

Samuel Ozuna

Always respectful, loved by his friends

Romane D. Taylor Jr.

Intelligent and playful, beloved by buddies