Family grieves 31-year-old basketball player shot and killed in Dolton: ‘He was beloved’

Khapri Alston, 31, who was shot and killed last week in Dolton, was “the life of our family,” his father said.

“I’m hurt beyond what words can describe. I’m angry. Khapri was loved everywhere. This is shocking,” said Chenier Alston, Khapri’s father. “I feel like I’m living a nightmare.”

Khapri Alston, a professional basketball player, was a resident of Griffith, Indiana, his father said. He’d been in Dolton spending time with friends on May 21 when he was killed.

The shooting took place on the 14100 block of Martin Luther King Drive in Dolton, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Alston was pronounced dead shortly before midnight on May 21.

“The mayor and chief of police and detectives all met with me and his mother, and sat down and talked to us, and told us it’s going to be a process,” Chenier Alston said. “From there, I’ve heard nothing.”

Khapri Alston had a passion for basketball that started in seventh grade, his father said, going on to play for several teams both in the United States and abroad.

“He was just an amazing, amazing young man. He was loved across the state, across the country, and in different countries in this world, places he played overseas,” Chenier Alston said.

He’d been a standout player at Thornwood High School in South Holland, Chenier Alston said, and later went on to win an overseas championship in Chile.

“Just was an amazing father and just an amazing son,” Chenier Alston said. “He was my best man at my wedding, back in June.”

The Dolton Police Department did not return a request for comment regarding whether anyone was in custody or had been charged.

“He was beloved and he deserved justice,” Chenier Alston said. “We’re not going to stop until we get justice.”

Chilean basketball team Club Deportivo Valdivia, whom Alston had played for, posted a statement on social media grieving his loss and sending condolences to his family.

“Khapri, the Club Deportivo Valdivia and its people will never forget you,” the statement said in Spanish.