Rapper, alleged O Block gang leader among 2 killed in Edgewater shooting

A rapper and alleged leader of the violent O Block gang faction was among two men killed in a high-powered ambush attack early Saturday morning in Edgewater that left a third man wounded.

Rachaun “Munna Duke” Vance was an associate of Dayvon “King Von” Bennett, the late rapper who was O Block’s most prominent member. Vance was identified by his nickname as a leader of the O Block criminal enterprise during a monthslong racketeering trial at Chicago’s federal courthouse that ended in January 2024.

Vance, Derrell Givens and another man were each shot when gunmen jumped out of a vehicle around 1:20 a.m. Saturday and fired at least 50 shots in the 6300 block of Broadway, according to a Chicago police report.

Vance, 31, was struck in his chest and taken to Weiss Memorial Hospital, where he died, police said. Givens, 28, was hit multiple times and was pronounced dead at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston. The other man, 36, was shot in his back and taken to Evanston Hospital in fair condition.

Porkchop Edgewater, a barbecue restaurant at 6341 N. Broadway, was shut down by police under the city’s summary closure ordinance, which allows it to shutter businesses that pose a public safety threat. A representative for the business didn’t respond to a request for comment.

No one has been arrested, police said.

Linked to racketeering case

The federal racketeering case against O Block centered on allegations that King Von had placed a hit on Carlton “FBG Duck” Weekly, a rival rapper who was gunned down by a group of O Block associates in the Gold Coast neighborhood in a brazen daytime attack on Aug. 4, 2020.

A member of the gang clique told prosecutors under oath that “Duke," Vance's nickname, was among a small group of men who led the O Block crew. He was identified as “Individual B” in court documents, records show. Six O Block members and associates were convicted in the case.

Prosecutors said King Von paid $128,000 to buy diamond-encrusted O Block pendants from an Atlanta jewelry store, giving many away to members of his crew. Vance was often photographed wearing what appeared to be one of the pendants.

Vance had a long criminal record and said in an interview that he was first arrested at 13. The attorney who represented him in his most recent criminal case didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

King Von was shot to death outside an Atlanta hookah lounge in November 2020, a week after he released his debut album, “Welcome to O’Block,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. An ally of rapper Tyquian “Quando Rondo” Bowman was charged with his killing, but the case was later dismissed.

King Von was a protege of Durk “Lil Durk” Banks, a Grammy winner who has topped the Billboard charts. Lil Durk is being held at a Los Angeles jail awaiting trial in a murder-for-hire case in which he’s accused of placing a hit on Quando Rondo in retaliation for King Von’s killing. Masked gunman targeted Quando Rondo in L.A. on Aug. 19, 2022, and killed his cousin, Saviay’a Robinson.

In a recent interview posted to YouTube, Vance said he had moved out of Chicago.

He said that one of the highlights of his life was seeing King Von achieve success as a rapper, even though he was in jail at the time. He said his lowest point was “sleeping on the floor with a house floor of people” as a child.

Asked what he would have told his younger self, Vance said, “Just try to be smart and move different.”

“Stay out the way. You know what I’m saying?” he said. “You ain’t really got no points to prove. … You just gotta be you.”