CHICAGO — A vigil and balloon release was held Saturday to honor Torrence Summerlin Jr., a former Whitney Young and Southeastern University baseball player who was shot and killed in the Near West Side neighborhood Friday morning.
Summerlin Jr. was shot to death in the 2400 block of West Polk Street at approximately 10:40 a.m. Friday morning, standing near the trunk of his car with the trunk open.
He was shot in the chest and later died at Stroger Hospital.
Summerlin Jr. had a passion for collecting and selling sneakers, and he was killed doing just that, his sister Carla Summerlin said.
“I sat down and didn’t know how to feel. Couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. He was a good one. Too good to go out like that,” Carla Summerlin said.
Carla said the 26-year-old was a ray of light who had a full personality and a deep passion for baseball. One of his crowning accomplishments was being part of a championship team at Southeastern University.
A scholarship will be named in Summerlin Jr.’s honor to be awarded to a baseball player from Chicago each year.
Torrence’s family said he just recently bought a property in the city and planned on renting it out.