A GoFundMe was launched on Wednesday night for the funerals of Pivot Gang artist Squeak and his uncle Derion S. Hood. Squeak and Hood were both fatally shot on Monday. 

Pivot Gang made the announcement about the fundraiser on their social media pages. They hope to raise $40,000 to cover funeral expenses. 

“Derion and Squeak were sons, friends, brothers, uncles, and most of all, men who loved and supported their friends, family and the community of Chicago,” Pivot Gang wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Those who were lucky to be in their presence will miss their warmth and radiant smiles. This is an immense loss for their family, Pivot Gang, the city of Chicago, and fans across the globe. We are asking for the community to help fund funeral expenses. Any overages will be passed on to Squeak’s young children. Derion and Squeak’s legacy will live through their loved ones, the city of Chicago, and beyond.” 

Family and friends of Squeak and Hood gathered on the West Side in La Follette Park on Wednesday evening for a balloon release in their honor.

On Tuesday morning, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified 26-year-old producer, DJ and out West native Squeak, born Javunte Wheeler, as the second victim in a fatal shooting that took place in the Austin neighborhood. Friends close to Squeak initially confirmed the news with The TRiiBE on Monday evening.

Squeak’s uncle, 27-year-old Darion S. Hood, also died in the shooting that occurred at approximately 12:36 p.m. Monday in the 5000 block of West St. Paul Avenue, near Hood’s home in Austin. According to a Chicago Police Department report, both victims suffered gunshot wounds to their heads. They were transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Hood’s identity on Monday evening.

An investigation is ongoing.

According to a Chicago Sun-Times report, Squeak’s sister said the shooting was captured on a Ring doorbell surveillance camera. She said the video shows Squeak and his uncle being killed by a passenger in Squeak’s car. The passenger drove off in Squeak’s car after the shooting.

Squeak was best known as a member of West Side boyband Pivot Gang. He was one of the music group’s in-house producers and the group’s official concert DJ. On June 4, he dropped his latest music project, En Route, on streaming platforms. 

He is survived by his daughter Xuri and his brother Frsh Waters, who also is a member of Pivot Gang. According to the Sun-Times, Squeak also recently welcomed his second child in May.

An outpouring of love began Monday night on social media, where family, friends, fans, collaborators and other artists in the Chicago creative community shared their memories of Squeak.

In February 2017, Pivot Gang rapper John Walt was killed near the Metra tracks off Clinton Street in the Fulton River District. Born Walter E. Long Jr., the 24-year-old was stabbed after an altercation with Kevin Alexander, 23, that started on the CTA Green Line train and spilled out onto North Clinton Street. Police quickly arrested Alexander on two counts of murder while Chicago’s hip-hop community mourned the loss of another star gone too soon.

TRiiBE culture correspondent Rome J. interviewed Squeak back in September 2020 on TRiiBE TV’s “We Real Chicago” show. 

During the interview, Squeak said he got his start in music when his older brother, Frsh Waters, encouraged him to join Pivot Gang. Frsh is one of the co-founders of the group that was formed in 2012 with rappers Saba, Joseph Chilliams, MFnMelo and fallen bandmate John Walt. Pivot Gang producer Daedae, along with Squeak, joined the crew later.

“I make beats and I DJ. I made beats because I needed something to do while I was on house arrest. I just started making beats with gang [Saba and Dae Dae],” Squeak told Rome J. “I got into DJ-ing because my homies ain’t have no DJ. Like Walt, I was the first person to DJ for him.” 

Squeak was also the DJ for other Pivot Gang members such as MFnMelo, Joseph, and Frsh.  

“I DJ’d for all of them. They ain’t have DJs, so I said f— it. I’ll just teach myself how to DJ and then I started getting booked,” Squeak said, adding that he quickly recognized that DJs don’t get paid fairly. That pushed him to be independent and to curate his own DJ events. 

“Then I just started making, like, five bands — minimum — a show just by myself,” Squeak said. 

Squeak forged his own path in the music industry and was excited about wrapping up his first solo EP, En Route, with Pivot Gang bandmate MFnMelo. En Route was released in June with features from Frsh, Dinnerwithjohn (John Walt), Kobe Jxrdan and Rexx Life Raj.

“I’m about to release my first body of work outside of the Pivot album. I just got through shooting my first video and sh–, like, I’ma be rapping,” Squeak told Rome J. back in September 2020. “I ain’t on no P. Diddy shit neither. I won’t be dancing. I’ma a lowkey nigga and I like being low key.”  

On En Route, Squeak said he wanted listeners to hear a different sound than what he was known for with Pivot Gang.

“I guess people be used to hearing like the super smooth sh– all the time but this [the] hardest sh– I got,” Squeak said.  

Chicagoans are known for their grit and hustle, and Squeak was no stranger to hard work. He was inspired by his musical West Side predecessors Do or Die and Twista, and Chicago hip-hop contemporaries Lucki, Saba and Chance the Rapper. 

“I’ma West Side nigga, an entrepreneur. Like, that’s who I am. This sh– just in me. We know how to get it. We know how to make sh– happen. It’s just us. It’s always just been in me too,” Squeak said. “My OG used to tell me that sh– all the time: ‘Since you been a kid, it’s seemed like you been here before.’”

Correction: The story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Derion S. Hood’s name. His name was misspelled in initial reports from the Medical Examiner’s Office.

is a multimedia reporter for The TRiiBE.
is a staff writer with The TRiiBE. Email him with news tips.