Just two weeks after celebrating a baseball city championship, the Thunderbird brothers are mourning the death of their father.
Kevin Laron Thunderbird, 36, the father of the three Kenwood star athletes: Kevin Jr., K’Vion and Kevari, was shot to death Monday night in Hyde Park on the South Side.
Thunderbird was walking about 11:45 p.m. in the 5100 block of South Dorchester Avenue when someone in a passing vehicle opened fire, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
Thunderbird pulled out his gun and returned fire but was struck in the stomach, police said.
He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died of his injuries, police said.
A weapon was found at the scene. No arrests were made.
Thunderbird also had two younger sons, so five boys total.
“He was the kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back,” Kenwood football coach Sinque Turner said. “Everybody loved Thunderbird. In a lot of ways he’s a Chicago icon, just for the things he’s done in the community.”
Thunderbird played baseball and football at Simeon and graduated in 2005. Turner played with him at Simeon and then coached his sons at Kenwood.
“He was a great guy, a great teammate and a great father,” Turner said. “He will be very missed. He was like an uncle to the entire team. They would all go to his house and workout. It’s just so sad.”
K’vion, a baseball and football player, has a football scholarship to Arizona State. He was the best linebacker in the Public League last season.
“Last night I lost my father. I never seen anything like this coming to me or my family. I love you pops and I promise you I’m going to carry our last name and our family won’t ever have to struggle again,” K’Vion Thunderbird tweeted.
Kevin Jr., a first baseman committed to Rust College, also tweeted about his dad: “I’m lost for words. Never would have thought I would lose my father.”
Kevari, a junior committed to Eastern Kentucky, struck out 12 and allowed just two hits in six innings to earn the win in Kenwood’s city title game win against Payton on May 22 at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Kevari also played football, filling in at quarterback for the Broncos after several quarterbacks were injured during the season.
Contributing: Sun-Times Wire
