reporter: police say tyshawn was lured her and shot multiple times in the chest and back. they believe the fourth grader was intentionally targeted because his father has ties to a gang with another gang in conflict. in year alone there are around 400 murders in chicago and more horrific rate than last year when they had the most homicides of any city in america. now spike lee hopes to focus attention on the killings, he s directed a new film called s chiraque. many say it feels like a war zone. homicides in chicago, illinois surpassed the death toll of american special forces in iraq. reporter: father michael pfleger is working closely with spike lee and john cusack plays
A priest much like him. i sat down with spike lee and michael pfleger in the same church where tyshawn lee was mourned. you feel like a line has been crossed but how many times have you said that? children and have been shot and killed before. there is no request here and across america but when you target a child and shoot and kill him is a different thing. on the street there was a code, you didn t touch children, somebody s mother and somebody s grandmother. elders, too. you didn t touch the elders and children. for this to happen, you know, not only crosses the line, it takes away all the boundaries and is this going become a new normal? reporter: do you see it getting worse? i do. unfortunately, what i see right now is so dangerous to me because with social media being
9-year-old tyshaun lee has been laid to rest. this is how it ends for too many of chicago s black children. a sickening crime, a 9-year-old victim yet again sadness and anger on chicago s south side. our children have a right to walk ore streets. our children have the right to expect to be safe in the city of chicago. our children deserve that! father michael pfleger led the funeral service. tyshawn was not in the wrong place. the executioner, the murderer, the assassin was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Children. a sickening crime, a 9-year-old victim, yet again sadness and anger on chicago s south side. our children have a right to walk our streets! our children have a right to expect to be safe wherever they are in the city of chicago! our children deserve that! reporter: father michael pfleger led the funeral service. tyshawn was not in the wrong place, the murderer, the executioner, the assassin, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. tyshawn was doing what every child has a right to do, be a child. reporter: father pfleger helped raise a reward for information about who killed tyshawn lee but fee people want to talk to the police. there is fear. this is a different level of what we re involved in.
Family and friends gathering today to say their final good-byes to tyshawn lee, the fourth grader shot in the head and back last monday in an alley near his grandmother s home. police believe gangs targeted the boy and they are offering a $51,000 reward for information on his death. more sad news to talk about. this is about a man that we all know, because he became prominent after getting his hands on the star wars film. 32-year-old daniel fleetwood passed away of spindle cell sarcoma, a rare connective tissue cancer. his wife says he was granted his final wish to see the force awakens a few days ago. on our facebook post this morning, she wrote daniel is now one with god and with the force. switching gears to that goodfellas court case in new york, today is the first day of deliberations.