More than three dozen people were shot in Chicago during Memorial Day weekend in 2026. Among them was 2-year-old Jamonte Shaw. The toddler reportedly got hold of a loaded firearm inside a home in the Pullman neighborhood on the city’s far south side. Emergency responders rushed the toddler to an area hospital, but sadly, Jamonte succumbed to his wounds. Johnny R. Hughes, the boyfriend of Jamonte’s mother, now faces multiple charges in the child’s tragic death.
The shooting occurred in the early afternoon.
Police responded to a call in the 900 block of East 104th Street around 12:40 p.m. on May 24, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. When officers arrived, they found Jamonte in critical condition. Paramedics took him to Comer Children’s Hospital, where staff pronounced Jamonte dead at 1:31 p.m. Though an autopsy report is pending, the toddler apparently had a single gunshot wound to the head, according to the Sun-Times.
Hughes told police where to find the gun that Jamonte shot himself with.
According to an arrest report obtained by the Sun-Times, Hughes and Jamonte’s mother, identified online as Jada Shaw, sat on the couch while police questioned them about the shooting. Hughes took officers to a back bedroom where they recovered a 9mm semi-automatic Taurus G3 with a laser attachment. The gun was on the top shelf of a bedroom closet between two layers of clothing.
WGN reported that Hughes was sleeping and Shaw heard the gunshot. She reportedly found Jamonte in the living room.
Per WGN, Hughes appeared apologetic at the scene. He told police he’d been drinking the night before and put the gun in the closet, the same place he stored juice. Hughes assumed that Jamonte had gone into the closet to get something to drink.
Shaw created a GoFundMe for Jamonte’s final expenses.
The heartbroken mother asked friends to help her during this extremely difficult time.
“Jamonte was a bright light in my life, full of energy and love. His laughter and spirit brought so much joy to everyone around him,” she wrote. “Losing him so unexpectedly has been overwhelming, and I am doing my best to cope with the emotional and financial challenges that have come with his passing.”
Hughes, a convicted felon, faces charges of child endangerment, possession of a firearm by a felon, and unlawful use of a weapon, according to WGN.
This is a prime example of someone thinking the rules simply don’t apply to them. As a convicted felon, Hughes never should have had a gun to begin with. But because he couldn’t play by the rules, a toddler died. How can that be worth it?
