The first friend that I ever made on my first day of school ever. Chris and I were in Mrs. Friedland's class at H.S. Thompson elementary school. Honestly, we even found out that we had the EXACT same jacket when the winter hit. If any best friend could be had, Chris was it. We lost contact after his family moved away the next year, so it was a shock to me when I saw him at Lincoln and even more shocking that he still remembered who I was. During the time that it took us to get to Lincoln, Chris and I had chosen completely different paths, but it didnt matter the least bit, he was still my twin. We cracked about being in kindergarten together and all the things that we used to do. We joked in the spare time that we actually got to see each other about how ironic it was that we ended up at the same high school. I could never have imagined that one day while walking home from school, I would witness someone that I considered to be that close of a friend being killed.
The day ended like any other school day and I just happened to not have to work, so of course, I was excited to be headed home. I remember joking with one of the guys that graduated in 1998 about what I was about to go do and thats when I saw it. Everyone was running to the old apartments next to the Lincoln graveyard. "They fighting", I heard one of the girls yell, "Some bloods over there in them apartments fighting." In my youth, I ran to it. I wish to God everyday that I had ran the other way, but I didnt. I heard the shots ring out. Against the day, they sounded like firecrackers, not at all like you see or hear on the movies. By the time, I got to the apartments, I saw three guys in red running towards the graveyard, but I never saw there faces. I could hear the girls screaming and it wasnt until I made it to the clearing in the apartments that I realized what was going on. A guy that I would come to know as Chris's cousin was standing over him screaming, "Hold on fool, dont die. Dont die, my n****r. Please dont die, fool. Chris. Aww, s**t, man they shot him. Them h** a** n*****s shot him."
I saw his face. I saw my friend's eyes roll in the back of his head. I saw where the bullet entered right on the nape of his neck. The world around me became silent. I was witnessing the loss of innocence. I was witnessing the loss of someone who had managed to make me feel better about being dropped off in a place that I was afraid of. I was watching him die. I could hear the sirens in the distance and I did the only thing that I could think to do......I ran. I ran holding back the tears to get help, but help was already on the way and it would be too late by the time they got there.
I sat motionless on the bed that day. Shaken. My mind trying to wrap itself around what I had just seen. The only person that I had ever seen get shot was Ricky in "Boyz N The Hood" and Ricky was on TV not shortly thereafter, but Chris was never coming back. A life cut short by fear, by ignorance, by the need to justify a color. There are some moments in life that shape you and the death of Christopher Ross, my friend, my twin, was one of those moments for me. R.I.P. Chris.
I remember trying to get Chris to do his homework all the time he would just say "whatever". Chris would just sit in the back of Mr. Berry's class and be soooo quiet, everyday until the end. I remember reaching back to get his homework one day in August of '97 and Yoko had to remind me that he had gotten killed. Chris was the first person I knew, around my age, to be killed. I remember those crazy times at H.S. Thompson as well.
I remember Chris being in Mrs.Crow class with me. He was so quiet. I was at home when I heard it on the news that a male was shot and killed shortly after school let out at Lincoln High School. So I was like who, who got killed. When they said a student by the name Christopher Ross was gunned down outside some apartment complex minutes from the high school. I said, Oh my God...I couldn't believe it.. The next day, everybody was talking about it, crying and everything... We was in Mrs.Crow class talking about it, and she didnt even realize he was in her class because he would come in, and just sit in the back of the class and be quiet. I miss you Chris...R I P....
Very sad indeed I had one class with him in the 10th grade. We became cool cause we sat next to each other. Can't even remember the teachers name I know it was math and it was across the hall from ms eutsey class. He was a very cool dude. He wasn't the first guy I knew to get killed but I thought that his death was so senseless and stupid. I never really got the real story but I just really thought that walking home was no reason to die/
Chris was a very cool dude, man he thought he was so good in basketball. lol, sorry as hell. I knew Chris because we grew up together in Dixon. The story that Julian wrote was about right about his death. We were at football practice when we heard alot of shots and I remember saying to myself, "dang somebody just got f'd up", not realizing it was one of my closest homies. A darn shame that he lost his life all behind a damn color that lives on without him. Whats even more sad is that his mother never let him walk home from school from fear of something like this and I think that was like his 3rd or 4th day ever walking home from Lincoln!!!!!!! Think about that and how his mother must have felt. She passed away a short time later!!!!!!!!!
Yeah I remember Chris. He and I were actually neighbors back in the H.S. Thompson days. We were little kids and even back as kids his mother was always protective of him. We lived 1 apartment bldg away from each other in Bonton, and we would always play together until nighttime of course. Thats when Chris's mom would stick her head out the door and shout, "Chris". He'd always take off running to the house around that time. I remember helping him and his folks when they moved out of Bonton and moved to a house off of Second Ave. I was sad, because I knew I wouldn't see him as much, if at all. Years passed by and true enough we did reunite at Lincoln. Our reunion wasn't the best, because I didn't have any classes with Chris, and I hardly ever saw him at Lincoln. It's like our schedules were completely opposites. I was informed of his death, as we all were and I really felt bad for his folks, because I remember how much they tried to keep him out of trouble and everything else. I dont and never really knew all of the story, but to my knowledge, his death did have to do with him having blue shoe strings in his shoes. Thats just so stupid looking back on it now, but believe it or not, that stuff still goes on today.
Julian Sneed
The first friend that I ever made on my first day of school ever. Chris and I were in Mrs. Friedland's class at H.S. Thompson elementary school. Honestly, we even found out that we had the EXACT same jacket when the winter hit. If any best friend could be had, Chris was it. We lost contact after his family moved away the next year, so it was a shock to me when I saw him at Lincoln and even more shocking that he still remembered who I was. During the time that it took us to get to Lincoln, Chris and I had chosen completely different paths, but it didnt matter the least bit, he was still my twin. We cracked about being in kindergarten together and all the things that we used to do. We joked in the spare time that we actually got to see each other about how ironic it was that we ended up at the same high school. I could never have imagined that one day while walking home from school, I would witness someone that I considered to be that close of a friend being killed.The day ended like any other school day and I just happened to not have to work, so of course, I was excited to be headed home. I remember joking with one of the guys that graduated in 1998 about what I was about to go do and thats when I saw it. Everyone was running to the old apartments next to the Lincoln graveyard. "They fighting", I heard one of the girls yell, "Some bloods over there in them apartments fighting." In my youth, I ran to it. I wish to God everyday that I had ran the other way, but I didnt. I heard the shots ring out. Against the day, they sounded like firecrackers, not at all like you see or hear on the movies. By the time, I got to the apartments, I saw three guys in red running towards the graveyard, but I never saw there faces. I could hear the girls screaming and it wasnt until I made it to the clearing in the apartments that I realized what was going on. A guy that I would come to know as Chris's cousin was standing over him screaming, "Hold on fool, dont die. Dont die, my n****r. Please dont die, fool. Chris. Aww, s**t, man they shot him. Them h** a** n*****s shot him."
I saw his face. I saw my friend's eyes roll in the back of his head. I saw where the bullet entered right on the nape of his neck. The world around me became silent. I was witnessing the loss of innocence. I was witnessing the loss of someone who had managed to make me feel better about being dropped off in a place that I was afraid of. I was watching him die. I could hear the sirens in the distance and I did the only thing that I could think to do......I ran. I ran holding back the tears to get help, but help was already on the way and it would be too late by the time they got there.
I sat motionless on the bed that day. Shaken. My mind trying to wrap itself around what I had just seen. The only person that I had ever seen get shot was Ricky in "Boyz N The Hood" and Ricky was on TV not shortly thereafter, but Chris was never coming back. A life cut short by fear, by ignorance, by the need to justify a color. There are some moments in life that shape you and the death of Christopher Ross, my friend, my twin, was one of those moments for me. R.I.P. Chris.
Christina Perry (Barnett)
I remember trying to get Chris to do his homework all the time he would just say "whatever". Chris would just sit in the back of Mr. Berry's class and be soooo quiet, everyday until the end. I remember reaching back to get his homework one day in August of '97 and Yoko had to remind me that he had gotten killed. Chris was the first person I knew, around my age, to be killed. I remember those crazy times at H.S. Thompson as well.R.I.P Chris
gone but never forgotten
Latasha Roach
I remember Chris being in Mrs.Crow class with me. He was so quiet. I was at home when I heard it on the news that a male was shot and killed shortly after school let out at Lincoln High School. So I was like who, who got killed. When they said a student by the name Christopher Ross was gunned down outside some apartment complex minutes from the high school. I said, Oh my God...I couldn't believe it.. The next day, everybody was talking about it, crying and everything... We was in Mrs.Crow class talking about it, and she didnt even realize he was in her class because he would come in, and just sit in the back of the class and be quiet.I miss you Chris...R I P....
Courtney Carden (Simpson)
Very sad indeed I had one class with him in the 10th grade. We became cool cause we sat next to each other. Can't even remember the teachers name I know it was math and it was across the hall from ms eutsey class. He was a very cool dude. He wasn't the first guy I knew to get killed but I thought that his death was so senseless and stupid. I never really got the real story but I just really thought that walking home was no reason to die/Marquis Jones
Chris was a very cool dude, man he thought he was so good in basketball. lol, sorry as hell. I knew Chris because we grew up together in Dixon. The story that Julian wrote was about right about his death. We were at football practice when we heard alot of shots and I remember saying to myself, "dang somebody just got f'd up", not realizing it was one of my closest homies. A darn shame that he lost his life all behind a damn color that lives on without him. Whats even more sad is that his mother never let him walk home from school from fear of something like this and I think that was like his 3rd or 4th day ever walking home from Lincoln!!!!!!! Think about that and how his mother must have felt. She passed away a short time later!!!!!!!!!Tommie Jemerson
Yeah I remember Chris. He and I were actually neighbors back in the H.S. Thompson days. We were little kids and even back as kids his mother was always protective of him. We lived 1 apartment bldg away from each other in Bonton, and we would always play together until nighttime of course. Thats when Chris's mom would stick her head out the door and shout, "Chris". He'd always take off running to the house around that time. I remember helping him and his folks when they moved out of Bonton and moved to a house off of Second Ave. I was sad, because I knew I wouldn't see him as much, if at all. Years passed by and true enough we did reunite at Lincoln. Our reunion wasn't the best, because I didn't have any classes with Chris, and I hardly ever saw him at Lincoln. It's like our schedules were completely opposites. I was informed of his death, as we all were and I really felt bad for his folks, because I remember how much they tried to keep him out of trouble and everything else. I dont and never really knew all of the story, but to my knowledge, his death did have to do with him having blue shoe strings in his shoes. Thats just so stupid looking back on it now, but believe it or not, that stuff still goes on today.RIP Chris