Chicago man killed while protecting seven-year-old daughter from gunfire, family say

A 33-year-old Chicago man, who was fatally shot while he was driving his daughter to school, shielded the seven-year-old infant from the gunfire during the ambush, his family said. The minor survived the incident.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the incident occurred around West Chicago Avenue last Wednesday. The victim, identified as Travell Miller, had stopped in traffic and was on the phone with his mother when a gunman who had alighted from a vehicle approached him and opened fire.

“He was simply driving his daughter to school. He was talking to his mother [on the phone] as this guy runs up on the car,” the victim’s father, Joseph Gilmore, said.

Miller was struck four times and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital. “His mother hears her son say, ‘Dang man, what the f- – -.’ She hears commotion and then hears him say, ‘Mama, Mama, I’ve been shot,’” Gilmore recalled.

Gilmore added a doctor informed him the places his son was hit showed he was shielding his daughter when the gunman opened fire. “She’s traumatized. She’s devastated that she watched her father get killed,” he said.

The suspected shooter is yet to be apprehended. And though the motive behind the shooting is yet to be established, Miller’s twin brother, Lavell, said the victim “wasn’t part of any gang life, criminal life.”

“He wasn’t a troubled man, didn’t have any enemies. He was a brother, a father, a son. He was a partner,” Lavell added.

His family also said the fatal shooting happened just five days after Miller moved to the neighborhood. “I just want people to know he was a good man. I don’t want him to be just another hashtag or photo on a T-shirt,” Lavell told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I want people to know he has a real legacy. And that was the most important thing to us — your life résumé.”

“It sucks that bad things happen to good people. This is truly one of those situations.”

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been set up to help raise funds to cover Miller’s funeral expenses and also support his family. “Travell was a fun and joyful soul who was passionate about life and lived it to the fullest,” the account stated. “He was a loving father that his first priority was always his two daughter’s [sic].” Over $34,000 has so far been raised, surpassing the $15,000 goal.

Meanwhile, investigators have released images of the suspected gunman as well as the vehicle he was driving. “I pray that God serves them the same dish they gave my son,” Gilmore said.