Crime
16-year-old Devajae Christopher and 17-year-old Tamarion West killed in Auburn Gresham shooting
CHICAGO, IL — Chicago police have identified 16-year-old Devajae “DJ” Christopher, known by friends as “Lil Spazz,” and 17-year-old Tamarion West, known as “Stewie,” as the two teenage victims found shot to death early Wednesday morning in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
A third victim, a 21-year-old man, was wounded in the same incident.
According to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), officers were dispatched to the 8100 block of South Marshfield Avenue around 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 22, following reports of someone claiming they had been shot.
When first responders arrived, they discovered a 16-year-old male on the second-floor back porch of a residential building suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Upon entering the apartment, officers observed significant blood evidence and numerous shell casings scattered throughout the interior.
As they continued clearing the residence, they located a 17-year-old male in a hallway with multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest. He was also pronounced deceased at the scene.
Officers then proceeded to the third floor, where they found a 21-year-old man hiding under a bed, suffering from a gunshot wound to the arm.
He was transported by the Chicago Fire Department to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was listed in fair condition.
A 13-year-old boy was also discovered hiding inside the residence but was physically unharmed.
Witnesses reported seeing three males fleeing the building shortly after gunfire erupted.
One nearby resident told investigators that the shooting may have occurred between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., when it was still dark outside, saying they heard multiple gunshots before gathering their children to pray.
At this time, no suspects are in custody, and detectives from the CPD Area Two Bureau of Detectives are conducting a comprehensive investigation.
This tragic shooting marks the third incident within 24 hours in which multiple Chicago teenagers were shot, leaving three dead.
Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the Chicago Police Department’s 6th District at (312) 745-3610, submit a tip anonymously through CPDTIP.com, or reach out to Cook County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-535-STOP (7867) for a potential reward leading to an arrest.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.