Brother of "Young Pappy" Was Yesterday's Shooting Victim

As many of us recall, rapper Shaquon Thomas (aka "Young Pappy") was shot dead on the 4800 block of Kenmore last spring. This was after he posted on social media a taunt to an opposing gang that they couldn't even shoot straight. And this was after two people were killed by gang members aiming for Shaquon Thomas, one a friend of his and one a completely uninvolved bystander who was waiting for a bus. Shaquon Thomas was an Edgewater resident, but he came to Uptown to stir up trouble, and eventually to die here.

He may be gone, but his legacy continues. Crime in Wrigleyville & Boystown has posted that the shooting victim on Ainslie yesterday was his brother, Ryan Thomas.

So the carnage goes on.  There are four deaths already associated with "Young Pappy" -- his own, his friend Markeyo Carr, photographer Wil Lewis, and  Clifton Frye, who was killed for making disparaging remarks on Facebook about Shaquon Thomas. With nine bullets in him yesterday, Ryan Thomas could have easily become the fifth.

In an interview with DNAinfo last summer, the father of Shaquon Thomas said he feared for his son's life. He was wise to feel that way. Now he should be fearing for the life of Ryan Thomas.

Some suggestions to the gangbangers: Get out of the life; you'll live longer. If you aren't smart enough to do that, please stay out of Uptown. We were going to suggest staying in your own community to shoot one another, but better yet, go into the woods somewhere, away from people who don't want to be part of your petty, deadly games (hint: that's most of the world). Build a Thunderdome, or fence off a farm. As long as you're willing to travel, we hear Wisconsin's nice this time of year. We're pretty sick of you being here, to be honest.