By ANALISA TROFIMUK
Homicide Watch Chicago
It has been just over a year since 32-year-old William Palmer was fatally shot as he slept in his car near his home at the 6300 block of South Honore last June.
His mother, Rosemary Palmer, 60, said she remembers the day she got the call from Chicago Police saying her son had been shot in the head.
Upon receiving the call, she immediately went to the crime scene.
“I saw the yellow tape and then I saw the red tape. I remembered someone telling me that the red tape meant someone died and I dropped to my knees knowing it was my baby,” Rosemary Palmer said.
William Palmer, referred to as “Nook” by family, was a storyteller and jokester, according to a family member. His mother said his cousin gave him the nickname when William was a baby.
“Nook was a joker. He had a very kind spirit. That's why I am prone [to] believe that the person [that] took his life did not know that they were taking such a great person away from his family,” a relative wrote.
Rosemary Palmer said her son wasn’t perfect, but was protective of his mother and was active in their ministry.
"He was the type of person to round up all the guys on the street and say, ‘Get into our prayer line’,” Rosemary Palmer said.
He was a father, uncle, cousin and brother; and would always greet family members with hugs and kisses, according to his cousin, Natalie Davis. He was the comic relief in tough situations.
Davis said she created the Facebook page, “Justice for William - Nook” to pursue justice the "right way"--through the judicial system and not by fighting violence with violence.
The Facebook page is just the start of the family working toward its goal of bringing hope back to the community.
His mother is working on creating a group that unites neighbors against violence. The group will provide a place for adults and children from the community to meet and discuss ways to handle situations, instead of resorting to violence, according to Rosemary Palmer.
She said she wants the children in the group to feel they have the option to not be involved in violence and to choose better paths.
Rosemary Palmer wants to get justice, not just for her son, but for all of the mothers and children who have been affected by violence in Chicago.
"We will get justice the right way. So that people in the community will know, through us, that getting proper justice is attainable," Davis wrote.
*picture from Rosemary Palmer's facebook