Jaylen Ausley was a recent University of Michigan graduate who returned to the South Side to work with disadvantaged youth. Early Sunday, they were at a South Shore bar when a fight broke out and broke out, police said. As Huey, Ausley and several others stayed on the road, a silver sedan sped into the 7000 block of South Jeffery Boulevard and drove straight through them. Three people were thrown into the air and a fourth was knocked to the curb as bystanders screamed, according to video from the scene. Huey, 25, and Ausley, 23, and a third man, Devonte Vivetter, 27, died and the fourth was hospitalized in serious condition. The apparent attack took place outside Jeffery’s Pub at 7041 S. Jeffery Blvd., one of Chicago’s oldest gay bars, but police said they could not say whether it was a hate crime. “It appears to be deliberate,” Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan told reporters on Monday. “We have no evidence to suggest that anyone was trying to harm these individuals because of their race, religion, etc. That may change once we have more witnesses and a suspect.” The car used in the attack was recovered just four blocks from the scene, Deenihan said. “You can’t charge a car for a crime, obviously. We need to know who the driver was,” he said, asking for the public’s help in identifying who was behind the wheel. “There were a lot of people out there, a lot of people who were inside the bar before this happened,” he added. “And we certainly believe that there are people who really want to give us that information to identify a suspect.” Jeffery Pub has been a beacon for LGBTQ people on the South Side, according to Equality Illinois co-founder Rick Garcia, who said he hopes police will find out if the attack was a hate crime. “It was a place to go and think you were safe,” he said. “This is important. People go there to be safe and be who they are. They don’t have to travel all the way to the North Side. It’s a historic place and we have to recognize it.” On the South Shore, “we’ve had examples like that, trans people being beaten and killed. They have been there through the worst period and survived. And if that was targeted, that really needs to be looked into,” Garcia said. Huey’s aunt, Tawauna Walker, said the family doesn’t know exactly what happened outside Jeffery Pub, but they are sure of one thing. “This was evil at its worst,” he said. Huey’s sister, Charna Riley, wondered how the controversy apparently got so far out of hand. “Why [weren’t] call the police;” asked. “Why didn’t security break up the fight? I have questions that need to be answered. I guess it’s a process, so I’m waiting. But I need justice for my brother. “And these other things [victims], I’m sure their family members also want justice,” she said. “This does not need to go unnoticed.” Riley said her brother had recently announced plans to return to the Chicago area for a job at a casino. She had previously moved from south suburban Phoenix to Los Angeles, where she worked at the front desk of a luxury condominium building, she said. Although he enjoyed his work, he said his real passion was designing clothes and putting together clothes for himself and others. “He would tell me that this doesn’t look right, that it doesn’t stand out enough,” he said. “He would pick me up, and that’s what I’ll remember.” Ausley worked at the Gary Comer Youth Center, which provides classes, job training, career planning and other programs. “Many of the children Jaylen worked with have reached out to express their gratitude and appreciation for Jaylen’s willingness to be a positive mentor in their lives,” Project Love Chicago, which participates in programs in work. “Thank you all for your kind words to remind us of the impact he has had in such a short space of time. “Jalen was a light in any room and his infectious energy will be missed,” it added. “He was an extraordinary young man who had so much ambition, character, humility, love and compassion for his community. He made great strides as a leader in his community. He had so much ahead of him and so many plans for the future.” Denihan said police are cooperating with the bar, but acknowledged that investigators “still have a lot of work to do.” Anyone with information should call Precinct 1 detectives at (312) 747-8380 or submit an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.
