February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Cunnane, accompanied by a friend, was nearing his apartment at the intersection of Leland and Damen on the city’s north side in the early hours of May, 24, 2003.
He had been at a pre-wedding party and had decided to walk home on what was a balmy evening.
Two men approached Cuannane and his friend.
According to Cunnane’s companion, whose name has been withheld, the two men walked past and then one of them said something that sounded like “what’s up?”
At this point, the man pulled out a gun and without provocation fired a shot hitting Cunnane in the back of the head.
Cunnane died shortly afterwards in hospital. Robbery was not a motive because the gunman and his partner fled after the shooting.
There has been speculation that the shooting might have been a gang initiation rite.
In the days and weeks that followed, Cunnane’s family and friends posted a $15,000 reward and created a web page in his memory. The address is www.justiceforbarry.org.
Asked this week if the Cunnane investigationwas now a cold case or still an active one, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Police Department said that it was “still an ongoing homicide investigation.”
Asked if there had been any progress or breakthrough, the spokeswoman said that her office had not been notified of any progress by detectives handling the case.