Friends remember Marques Gaines, dispute fight before struck, killed in River North

11-Feb-16  One of Marques Gainess many friends described him as a class act who left things better than when [he] first walked in, on the 32-year-old Lakeview residents Facebook page on Monday, the day after Gaines was killed in River North. His death, as described by Chicago police and news media, conflicts with how they remember him.

At about 4:20 a.m. on Sunday, some sort of altercation happened between Gaines and another man near the intersection of North State Street and West Hubbard Street. Gaines was hit in the head, fell into the street, and was struck accidentally by a taxi. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead about four hours later.

Chicago police had no new information on Wednesday. Friends of Marques dispute published reports that he got into a fight. They say more likely, he intervened on behalf of someone who was being treated unfairly but it led to tragedy.

Gaines moved to Chicago in 2008 from Fayetteville, Georgia. He lived in the Lakeview neighborhood north of the Loop, not in West Town as the Cook County Medical Examiners office said, and worked in River North at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile.

He did live the hospitality industry lifestyle, going out late after shifts, etc., but was always responsible with work and personal obligations, recalls Kim Lippke, a friend who said Gaines was last seen at Mother Hubbards Sports Pub on West Hubbard Street, a few steps from where he was killed.

I have known Marques for 15 years now and he didnt have a mean bone in his body, so learning that he lost his life because of a fight doesnt make a bit of sense to anyone, says Lippke. Being involved in a fight that went terribly wrong just doesnt fit his character.

I knew him as a good guy, a caring friend, and a gentle spirit, said Craig Griffin. The man I knew wouldnt have fought anyone.

The taxi driver stopped. He says he did not see Gaines in the street. The man who police say punched Gaines left the area and as of Monday had not been found.

A funeral service for Gaines was scheduled for this weekend in Atlanta.