Chicago mother keeps fighting for justice nearly 5 years after son's killing
Nearly 5 years after 4-year-old was killed in Chicago, mother continues fight for justice
Nearly five years after 4-year-old Mychal "MJ" Moultry Jr. was killed in a hail of gunfire while visiting Chicago, his mother says she hasn't stopped fighting for justice.
CHICAGO - Angela Gregg no longer introduces herself by the name she was born with.
Today, she goes by Happy.
Not because life has been easy.
But because that's what her 4-year-old son, Mychal "MJ" Moultry Jr., called her.
"When MJ was about 18 months old, he would call me 'Happy,'" she told FOX Chicago. "I feel like that's what he wanted to leave me. As a way to honor my son, I changed my name to Happy."
More than 1,700 days have passed since Happy last held her only child.
Recently, she returned to the South Side Chicago apartment where her son was killed for the first time in years.
"I probably haven't been back here in about three years," she said.
A visit to Chicago ends in tragedy
The backstory:
On Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, Happy and her family were visiting Chicago from Alabama.
That evening, they were inside an apartment on the 6500 block of South Ellis Avenue on the city's South Side.
Four-year-old MJ wasn't outside playing. He wasn't caught in the middle of an argument.
He was exactly where a little boy should have been — sitting patiently, getting his hair braided.
According to Chicago police, multiple shooters opened fire on the apartment, where the front living room had been converted into a hair salon.
"There were three people in this area that day," Happy said. "Twenty-seven gunshots went off... and my baby was the only one that took two bullets."
Surveillance video obtained by FOX 32 shows a vehicle slowly passing the building. About 50 seconds later, a barrage of gunfire erupts, echoing through the neighborhood.
Nearly five years later, the evidence remains.
FOX Chicago counted at least a half-dozen bullet holes still visible in the brick exterior of the building — lasting reminders of the dozens of rounds fired that night.
"You can see them," Happy said while pointing to the building. "It was riddled with bullets. It was three shooters that day. MJ was sitting here."
A mother's regrets
What they're saying:
Happy says one of the hardest memories to relive is the final conversation she had with her son.
She had just finished getting her own hair done and stepped away to get him snacks.
She remembers MJ clinging to her, asking her not to leave.
Looking back, she says she wishes she had stayed.
"I just feel like if I was here with him, it wouldn't have happened that way," she said. "I would have done everything I could to save my baby."
She also says she still has the email confirming she canceled a hair appointment in Alabama before the family traveled to Chicago.
She often wonders what would have happened had they never made the trip.
Turning grief into advocacy
Happy says the years without an arrest made healing even more difficult.
"He was 4 years old. He was innocent," she said. "There were no leads. Nobody had been arrested. Justice was not swift. I think that perpetuated my grief."
Instead of allowing that grief to consume her, she turned it into advocacy, helping other families impacted by gun violence while continuing to fight for justice for her son.
"If I ever get a wish... if I ever get a prayer... the only thing that I want is justice for my son."
"We know who did it"
Dig deeper:
Happy believes investigators know who is responsible.
She says people have provided information to police, but no one has been willing to testify in court.
"We know who did it," she said. "We've had people come forward... but those people are not willing to go into open court and testify."
She says she understands prosecutors need sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges, but she remains frustrated by the lack of accountability.
"In real life, they have to meet a certain standard before they can make an arrest," she said.
She also hopes prosecutors will continue looking at cases involving young children with the seriousness they deserve.
"We're talking about children being murdered in your state," she said.
Keeping MJ close
Every day, Happy carries reminders of her son.
She wears his necklace.
She still keeps his backpack.
She has incorporated locks of his hair into her own.
"I still have all of his things," she said. "It does bring me peace because I feel like it's a little part of him."
She says changing her own name was another way to keep MJ close.
Every time someone calls her "Happy," they are unknowingly honoring the little boy who gave her that name.
$10,000 reward offered
Nearly five years after the murder of Mychal "MJ" Moultry Jr., no one has been arrested.
Chicago police say the investigation remains open.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Anyone with information can submit an anonymous tip through CPDTIP.com or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.
For Happy, the hope remains unchanged.
"I just want to know why they thought it would be a good day to pull up on this block and shoot into a place where you had no idea who you were shooting at... and you murdered my son."
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago's Tia Ewing.