15-year-old shooting victim Kadeidrah Lynn Marsh is a young life gone too soon.
That was the sentiment from friends and family at the girl’s funeral on Monday. The crowd at Sunshine Missionary Baptist Church, 3660 W. Roosevelt, was overflowing with youth as well as adults. Marsh, a West Side native, was shot Sunday March 2, while walking to her grandmother’s house with her sister.
Her casket was surrounded by flowers as the large gathering of family and friends took about an hour to give a final viewing and to say their goodbyes.
Those who spoke at her funeral talked about Marsh’s outgoing personality and loving to make people laugh.
Known as “Dee Dee” to many, Marsh was a sophomore and honor’s student at a charter school on the Orr High School campus. Much of the information surrounding the shooting has come from law enforcement officials and from the media. Marsh, according to news accounts, was shot by 20-year-old Tennille Tyson in a dispute over a boy. Marsh was walking in the 800 block of North Waller with her sister at around 9 p.m. Marsh, of the 3500 block of West Polk, was shot in the chest. Police believe Marsh’s older sister was the intended target.
Kimberly Marsh said she was waiting on her daughters when she heard a gunshot. After coming outside, she saw her other daughter jumping up and down and saw Kadeidrah lying on the ground. According to the mother, the alleged perpetrator, Tyson, had threatened her daughters because of a boyfriend.
Last Wednesday, Tyson surrendered to Chicago Police officers at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Church, 4301 W. Washington.
Church pastor, the Rev. Marshall Hatch, described to Austin Weekly News what led up to the surrender.
Hatch received a phone call last Wednesday from the pastor of First Baptist Church on Pine and Chicago Avenue. Church members there knew Tyson.
“They were trying their best to help her; of course, she was in distress,” Hatch recalled.
“Rev. Evans (First Baptist’s pastor) was in California so I told him I could help facilitate a surrender. I had the friends call me and they did, and they came to the church – about four young ladies. They were always encouraging her to obey the law and to do the right thing.”
Hatch said he prayed with the girl and her friends, and encouraged Tyson that she was doing the right thing.
“And as bad as circumstances are sometimes, they are not as bad as you think they are,” said Hatch, who later called 15th District Police Cmdr. Al Wysinger.
“I knew him, and he sent over some policemen who were very, very sensitive. He’d already briefed them and told them to handle the situation sensitively. We prayed again at the alter.”
Hatch facilitated Tyson’s transfer to police officers while in the church’s sanctuary at about 12:40 p.m. No media was present during the transfer, which Hatch felt was a good decision.
“After understanding some of the facts of the case, in terms of some people who lived on the same block as her grandmother, the sisters and the person of interest, which was Tennille, all knew each other. Knowing how tense the situation was I wanted to get the information out in the community as quickly as I could – that the person of interest, Ms. Tyson, was now in custody. She had turned herself in,” Hatch said. “She was very distraught, meaning that whatever transpired, perhaps, there was a lot of regret about it. The family responded appropriately because even in their grief they had compassion. But my concern was that people on the street knew to ‘cool it’. That the authorities had her in custody and there was no need for any retaliation. The situation was bad enough – just let the legal process take its course.”
Police, Hatch added, knew who they were looking for.
“They absolutely did. From what I understand, the sister, who is older, might have been the intended victim,” he said.
“Apparently, the younger sister had nothing to do with whatever the ongoing conflict was. Because Ms. Tyson is 20 and Kadeidrah’s sister is older, they might have been contemporaries, but not the deceased. Apparently she was very heroic in terms of standing in front of her sister.”
