Teen shot, killed in South Loop ‘teen trend’ event is remembered as ‘genuine’ and ‘no person to start fights’

Jeremy “Jermo” Smith could be seen almost every day playing basketball at the South Side YMCA in Woodlawn.

That’s where dozens gathered Wednesday to release balloons in remembrance of Jeremy, 17, who was killed in a shooting last weekend in the South Loop that also wounded a 15-year-old boy. Jeremy was among a massive crowd of teens, described in a police report as a “teen trend” event that had been promoted on social media.

“He had his ways, you know, typical teenager, but he was no person to start fights,” his stepfather, Hashim Bailey, said.

Officers were already on the scene monitoring the event when they responded to a shooting just after 8 p.m. Saturday in the 500 block of West Roosevelt Road, Chicago police said.

Jeremy suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A 14-year-old boy was arrested near the shooting scene but was released from custody days later without being charged, according to police.

It’s not clear what led to the gunfire, but Bailey said Jeremy had no history of trouble.

“He was no criminal,” Bailey said. “He was just learning life. He was a popular dude, likable dude.”

Many others conveyed that feeling about Jeremy at Wednesday’s vigil, as his friends shared stories and fond memories of him while fighting tears.

“Jermo, this was like a real genuine person. … You could just meet him tomorrow and y’all have a real strong bond because that’s the type of person he was,” one friend said.

Jeremy dreamed of becoming a professional basketball player, but if that didn’t work out, Bailey saw his stepson having a bright future in technology.

Bailey came into Jeremy’s life when the boy was 12 years old and became a father figure who pushed him to stay focused on school and taught him about trade schools and other paths after high school. Jeremy was a junior at Ombudsman Chicago South Alternative School.

At 8 years old, Jeremy owned an equalizer music player on which he created some of his own beats. Later, he was the “technical support” for the household, fixing internet and computer issues, Bailey said.

His relationships with his younger siblings, a 4-year-old sister and 8-year-old brother, involved the typical big-brother, little-sibling bickering, but ultimately, “it was a bond,” Bailey said, adding that he loved playing Xbox with his brother, M.J. Anderson.

Bailey started a fundraiser to help cover funeral costs.

As Jeremy’s godmother, Raven Parker, comforted one of his friends after the group released balloons Wednesday, she told the dozens of teens, “Y’all gotta live your lives now because he can’t.”