HIGHLAND PARK (WWJ) -- With no answers nearly a year after her son's murder, a Detroit-area community activist is again reaching out to the public for help.
Chinyelu Humphrey, better known as "Chin", was fatally shot at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2021, as he sat in his vehicle in the 20 block of Avalon, near Woodward Ave. in Highland Park.
According to Crime Stoppers of Michigan, the 23-year-old was "on watch," as usual over Avalon Village — a half-abandoned block that his mother for years has been working to revitalize.
Shamayim "Mama Shu" Harris said she heard gunshots, and when she looked out toward her son's car, calling his name, she saw two unknown men fleeing through an alleyway across from her home.
When there was no answer from Humphrey, Harris called 9-1-1.
Humphrey, found in his vehicle, was treated by EMS for gunshot wounds at the scene and taken to Henry Ford Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Humphrey went to school at Aisha Shule/Dubois Preparatory School in Detroit before he joined his mom as community advocate for Highland Park. He offered his time helping to build Avalon Village — with landscaping, construction, custodial services — and he provided security for the project.
Harris, who appeared on Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about Avalon Village in 2016, said she was inspired to try to make Highland Park a safer place to live after her 2-year-old son Jakobi Ra was killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2007.
Now she's holding onto hope that that someone in the public will come forward with a tip to bring justice for the death of the second child she lost to tragedy.
"The bottom line is that the killers will be dealt with one way or another." Harris said, at a news conference last year. "One way or another your journey for being destructive and hurting people stops with me. I am your karma."
Renewing the call for tips in this case, Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest.
Tips can be submitted by phone at 1-800-SPEAK-UP (1-800-773-2587) and online at 1800speakup.org.
"I need for everybody and anybody who knows any information on the murders of my son, to please call that number. It's very important," Harris said.
As always, all those who contact Crime Stoppers will stay 100% anonymous. They are not asked to provide their names, and are not required to speak to police or to testify in court.
All cash rewards are also paid anonymously.
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