While James Coles prepared to leave his mother’s Morgan Park home to see a friend who was in town, Jacqueline Coles grabbed him by the wrist and told him to be careful.

When Jacqueline went to lock the door, her son opened it back up and told her he’d be okay.

Both said “I love you” and James left. Hours later, Jacqueline stood outside of Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, pleading with officials.

“I needed to hold my son one more time, hold his hand, let him feel my heartbeat,” Jacqueline Coles said through tears. “[I needed] to let him know: ‘Your momma is right here.’”

“I was praying to God he just got grazed or hit in the leg or the hand,” Jacqueline told the Sun-Times. “But when I got there and they wouldn’t let me in, I knew my son was gone.”

Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert in the 11600 block of South Wallace Street about 12:50 a.m. Aug. 21 found Coles lying face down in the street next to a 2008 silver Toyota, according to police reports obtained by the Sun-Times.

Coles was with a group of people when a black Durango approached and opened fire at the group, according to police reports.

Coles, 32, was taken to Christ with gunshot wounds to his right armpit and left back, according to police. He was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

A semi-automatic pistol was recovered from Coles at the scene, according to police reports. No one was reported in custody.

Devoted dad who loved dancing, making other people smile

Every year, James Coles took a week off of work to take his kids to school at the start of the school year, according to his mother. Coles had three children — a 13-year-old girl, 11-year-old boy and 1-year-old boy. He was also engaged and his wedding was planned for August 2025.

The night of the shooting, Coles and his mother discussed plans for his daughter’s upcoming 8th grade graduation.

“He loved his family, he cared about other people and he was loyal to everybody,” Jacqueline said. Coles — a middle child among eight siblings — was a happy person who was also passionate about dancing.

During his junior year of high school his interest in dancing intensified and he started to get more involved, according to his mother. He specialized in footwork dancing and joined a group called “Break Through Squad.”

Coles competed in various competitions and looked up to his best friend Dempsey Barney, who was also part of the group.

He aspired to teach younger kids and teens how to dance as a way to “keep them out of trouble,” Jacqueline said.

“I hope and pray they catch the person who did this to him,” Jacqueline said. “This is really, really crushing.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Coles is one of over 400 people who have been killed across Chicago so far this year, according to data kept by the Sun-Times.

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago concentrates on helping those impacted by gun violence in the city, including Jacqueline.

“We respond to victims who are affected by gun violence directly ... and support their family members because they are affected indirectly,” Les Jenkins, victim services manager at the institute, said. “We understand that gun violence doesn’t just affect the individual but it affects everyone connected to the incident itself.”

Jenkins encouraged Jacqueline to “seek counseling and build a network to help support her.”

The group offered to help connect her to another gun violence prevention group closer to Coles’ South Side home so that she “gets the support she needs during this horrific time.”

“When all of the phone calls stop, when all of the visits stop and all of the friends stop coming by, she has to learn how to manage that,” Jenkins said. “Grief comes in stages, but they don’t always come in the order that the stages [are] written out.”

Jenkins, who has been with the institute for over three years and has been involved in community violence work for over 15 years, highlighted the effectiveness of the Emergency Supplemental Victims’ Funds.

The pilot was launched by the city last December to financially help Chicago residents who have been shot or family members who have lost a loved one to gun violence in West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park, Englewood, West Englewood or New City, according to the city’s official website.

Eligible victims or next of kin have to work with a victim advocate and apply for funding through the victim services organizations administering the program in the community area where the shooting occurred to receive funding.

Applications are approved within a week, and approved applicants can receive up to $3,500 for funeral expenses, basic needs and relocation within two weeks of applying.

“It helps them make a decision they often dread facing, but they don’t feel as much tension and stress while making it,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins emphasized the importance of “learning a person before you judge them.”

“If we have an opportunity, and we can move judgement out of the way ... allow them to tell their story for what it is,” Jenkins said. “You might find a way to really help save a life.”

Provided

For Jacqueline, her anguish is mixed with memories of her son, a cheerful soul who enjoyed telling old jokes and making funny faces to help lift spirits of those around him.

“It felt like something just grabbed my heart and just squeezed it real, real hard,” Jacqueline said. “I know things happen but I never thought I’d have to bury my son.”

Her favorite memory of Coles occurred roughly two decades ago as Coles danced across the living room floor as he smiled and laughed with his mother.

Coles would say:“One day, momma, I’m going to be a famous dancer and you’re going to look back and say ‘My son did it.’”