A memorial service is being planned for 76-year-old newspaperman Brad Cummings, who, along with three members of one family, perished in a suspected arson fire that broke out around 2 a.m. Thursday, June 26, at 5222 W. North Avenue.
The fire that consumed the three-story building will be remembered for a long time because the suspected arson caused the deaths of Cummings—founding editor of the Austin Voice newspaper—Destiny Henry, 28; Regina Henry, 32, who was three months pregnant; and her five-year-old son, Jayceon Henry.
The Chicago Police Department has launched an investigation into the fire, as has the Chicago Fire Department, which dispatched 140 firefighters to the scene. CFD has initiated a suspected arson investigation.
Alderman Emma Mitts (37th) urged the killer to “turn himself in because he’s going to get caught anyway,” while Reverend Ira Acree, pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church, said he and the advocacy group the Leaders Network put up a $5,000 reward for the capture and arrest of the “monster” who killed the fire victims.
“His death was tragic,” Acree told the Chicago Crusader, referring to Cummings.
“We lost someone who was very important to Austin. He was a community staple. He carried our stories when the national media only wanted to report negative things about our community.”
Acree gave the example of Cummings covering his annual scholarship ceremony, where he recently presented $525,000 in scholarships to college-bound students. “Brad covered that every year,” he said.
“We must get this guy off the streets because the monster is not going to turn himself in,” said Acree of the reward posted by the church and the Leaders Network, which he and Reverend Dr. Marshall Hatch lead.
Cummings was trapped by the blazing fire inside his second-floor apartment, according to Mitts, who told the Chicago Crusader she hopes the killer turns himself in.
Cummings’ sister is flying to Chicago, Mitts said, to identify her brother’s body. While his sister had planned to have his body cremated, Mitts convinced her the community wanted a memorial service to say goodbye to the well-loved and respected newsman.
Saying she had been asked to make a positive identification of Cummings’ body, Mitts said she thought it more appropriate that his family perform that difficult and emotional task.
Mitts is having trouble dealing with Cummings’ death because, she says, they were close.
“He covered everything, and he gave us great information and advice. He was more than an editor. Brad cared for our community, and he covered us well. To have him die like this is so very tragic.”
His death was the result, she said, of “a case of domestic violence and one that got out of hand.” She said there was an argument over a woman. One of the men allegedly returned and threw a Molotov cocktail at the front of the building and another at the back, preventing anyone from escaping the raging fire.
To help the healing process, Mitts held a prayer vigil and balloon release on Monday, June 30, in the shadow of the now-boarded-up and charred building.
On the North Avenue side of the building, a memorial site has been created where adults and children wrote messages of sympathy and comfort. Below the sign were candles in remembrance of the fire victims.
Representative Danny Davis (D-7th), who had just finished holding five safety-net drive-by hospital press conferences urging the Senate to reject Trump’s “big, beautiful (tax) bill,” joined Mitts at the vigil.
“Anyone who could do something like this has got to be insane,” Davis told the crowd.
Looking at the boarded-up building where his friend Cummings lived, Davis said, “I used to sit in his living room” talking about a myriad of social justice issues. “I hate they had to die this way.”
A pillar of the West Side community, Cummings was a determined fighter for social justice, especially for the underdog—like on Wednesday, June 11, when he covered Davis’s press conference at the Paul Simon Job Corps Center.
Not only did he cover the event, he also took photos and gave helpful advice about the center and how it had changed the lives of many troubled youths.
Cummings was also concerned about the lack of advertising revenue for Black newspapers. He and others in the media were working on a plan to generate more advertising, including for Black publications. He told reporters he never took a salary for his work with the Austin Voice. Getting the news out to the community, he said, was more important.
Still devastated over Cummings’ death, Mitts said, “I want his killer to turn himself in. He’s eventually going to get caught.” She agreed with Davis, saying the killer must be mentally ill to start that fire.
Saying Cummings was very close to her, Mitts added, “He brought me information. I trusted him to know that he was doing the right thing for the community. He highlighted the community. Every week that paper came out, and he would go to businesses and churches and drop off his newspapers—and he’d get mad if they wouldn’t let him leave the papers there.”
When told that Cummings did not get paid for his work, Mitts said, “He’s a better person than me. His heart was in his work. He was just one of a kind.”
Also at the prayer vigil was Reverend George Smith, a member of Reverend Acree’s church, whose aunt and cousins died in the fire. Addressing the crowd across from the boarded-up building, Smith called for justice.
“The monster who did this has to be dealt with. My family did not deserve to die like this.”
“I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the families on the West Side who were affected by the tragic fire that claimed the lives of four beloved members of our community, including my friend Brad Cummings,” said Representative LaShawn Ford (D-8th).
He described Cummings as “an essential voice in our community. I am grateful for his decades of dedication as a responsible and active citizen serving on several boards on the West Side.
His love and commitment to our community were truly remarkable. I wish the Austin Voice all the best for the future,” Ford told the Chicago Crusader.
Isaac Lewis, publisher and executive director of Strategic Human Services and publisher of the North Lawndale News, worked with Cummings for more than 25 years. He said Cummings’ death “was tragic and sad because he had nothing to do with the fire.”