Dad-to-be, 26, attended funeral of murdered rapper BloodHound Q50… only for second tragedy to strike hours later because of STICKER on his car

DAILYMAIL • 2h ago

By KELLY GARINO, US REPORTER 16:27 29 Sep 2026, updated 16:32 29 Sep 2026

A father-to-be was chased down and shot dead by two gunmen at an Illinois gas station just hours after attending a rapper’s funeral.

Naseem Stevens, 26, was killed Friday evening after crashing into a pole while desperately trying to escape two unidentified gunmen who opened fire on him in the city’s Grand Crossing neighborhood, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Just hours earlier, Stevens had attended the funeral of Mi’KQuale Cooper, 22, better known as BloodHound Q50, who was gunned down at a separate gas station less than two weeks earlier.

It remains unclear why Stevens was targeted, though some reports have speculated that the shooting may have been connected to his alleged ties to the notorious BloodHounds street gang on Chicago’s South Side.

Stevens was driving a car with a sticker from Cooper’s funeral on it when he was killed, according to a police report obtained by the Chicago Tribune.

But his mother, Karonna Williams, said she refuses to let people ‘reduce’ her oldest son to those alleged ties, telling the outlet: ‘I know what he is.’

She said her son, nicknamed Poohman since middle school, had ‘done things the wrong way’ for years but was beginning to turn his life around after learning he was going to become a father.

In 2022, he was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to two gun charges and was arrested again several times after his release, according to the outlet.

‘I think he started to realize that that wasn’t the road he needed to go down, especially now that he was going to be a dad,’ Williams said.

She said he was ‘starting to understand what he wanted in his life’ and was ‘extremely excited’ about the arrival of his first child and starting a new life with his partner.

The deadly scene unfolded around 7pm Friday, when Stevens was standing near his Dodge Challenger at the Citgo gas station in the 7500 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, according to the Tribune.

Police said a black sedan pulled up alongside him before two people inside brandished weapons and opened fire.

Stevens attempted to escape by jumping behind the wheel and speeding away, but the gunmen continued pursuing him, firing in his direction as they weaved through traffic.

The chase ended when Stevens, who had been shot in the back and knee, crashed into a police car near 74th and Cottage, as the gunmen fled the scene.

Stevens was taken to UChicago Medicine, where he was later pronounced dead. The two gunmen remain on the run as homicide detectives work to track them down.

In a heartbreaking tribute shared on Facebook Monday, Stevens’ mother wrote: ‘Son, you did that… you broke me with this one.’

‘The pain I feel has no words. Honestly, my heart feels like it’s barely beating. I don’t know how to explain this kind of pain because losing you feels like losing a piece of myself,’ she added.

‘Until I see you again, know that your mama will carry you with her every single day. Your name, your love, your memories, your laughter and your beautiful spirit will live through me and your brothers.’

According to the police report, Stevens had attended Cooper’s funeral in Merrillville, Indiana, earlier that day, where a heavy police presence was on hand given the circumstances surrounding the rapper’s murder.

Around 4am on September 14, Cooper pulled into a Fuller Park gas station near 42nd and Wentworth in his white Tesla, only to be ambushed by six gunmen who arrived in two separate cars and opened fire.

Cooper had been building momentum as an artist in the Chicago music scene and was in the car with his pregnant girlfriend at the time.

More than 80 rounds tore into Cooper’s car, leaving him dead within an hour of the shooting, according to All Hip Hop News.

While the rapper’s girlfriend managed to escape, she believes a Tesla safety feature left Cooper unable to flee, with the car refusing to shift into drive unless the seatbelt is fastened.

In the report detailing Stevens’ death, police noted Cooper’s ties to the area where the 26-year-old was killed, but said they were unsure whether the two attacks were connected.

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