BREAKING: North Side Rapper “Bang Da Hitta” Charged With Murder

Keith Hayer | Chicago Police Dept

He’s been shot, shot at, jailed and imprisoned. Now, the North Side rapper known as Bang Da Hitta is charged with murder.

Chicago police this afternoon confirmed that 27-year-old Keith Hayer has been arrested and charged with one felony count of murder in connection with the November 2017 slaying of 18-year-old Desahwn Johnson in Uptown.

Hayer is due in bond court today.

Shortly after 6 p.m. on November 13, Johnson was gunned down in the 1200 block of West Leland.  His body was found lying amongst more than 30 shell casings that stretched for two city blocks. He was pronounced dead less than an hour later at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

Johnson | Facebook

At the time, Uptown Alderman James Cappleman tweeted:

“I spoke with [Johnson] many times in the past. He was counted among the youth at high risk for getting killed. He had a custom notification to try to turn his life around. How terribly sad.”

Johnson’s Facebook page was filled with images of him posing with large amounts of cash, weapons, and drugs. He was a member of the Hoola Gang sect of the Black P-Stones street gang.

About an hour before he was killed, Johnson posted his final status update on Facebook: “? g these hoes love to die with the gang.”

Hitta

Less than two weeks before Johnson was killed, CWBChicago reported exclusively that cops believed Hayer played a role in a double-shooting near Clark and Leland in Uptown on November 1.

Hayer | Facebook

Hayer had been arrested in Lakeview after police allegedly saw him run from a van that was used to transport the November 1 shooting victims to  Masonic, according to a police source.

As the victims walked into the hospital, police found the Dodge minivan in the 1000 block of West Wellington, about a block from the hospital’s emergency room entrance. Hayer jumped from the van and ran from the scene, police said. He was arrested moments later on a warrant.

Shell casings were found inside the van and in the 3000 block of North Sheffield, but no gun was recovered. No charges were ever filed in the case.

On August 16, 2017, CWBChicago reported exclusively that Hayer himself had been shot in Uptown.

More recently, Hayer was shot twice on March 28 in the 1300 block of West Estes in Rogers Park.

A reputed member of the Gangster Disciples street gang, Hayer is associated with the far North Side’s PBG faction, according to a source. Yet he lists a home address in the South Side’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood when he’s arrested.

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About CWBChicago 4358 Articles
CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets.