Car meet at Elgin High School held Friday night for Elgin teen killed en route to Chicago concert

Jess Kendall’s classic 1975 Chevy C10 pickup truck was center stage at a car meet held in his memory Friday night at Elgin High School.

It’s the kind of thing he would’ve loved going to, said Tommy Kendall, his older brother.

Jess Kendall, 18, was shot Oct. 20 while walking to a Lil Durk concert at the United Center in Chicago and died the next day at Chicago’s Stroger Hospital. Two other teens were wounded in an incident for which Chicago police have not disclosed details.

His death reverberated in his hometown and at Elgin High School, where he was a senior.

Tommy Kendall said his brother’s friends organized the car meet.

“My little brother was really into cars. He just loved working on cars and hanging out with his friends, going to car meets, car shows and stuff like that,” said Kendall, who was surrounded by family and friends.

“His 1975 Chevy C10 was his pride and joy,” Kendall said. “He was just a gearhead.”

When Jess Kendall got the truck, it needed a little bit of work, his brother said. It was something he worked on with his family and during his autoshop class at school, he said. He also had a Nissan 350Z and an Audi.

“This is what he loved,” said Byron Mejia, one of Kendall’s friends. When Jess drove his Nissan 350Z, “you could hear a block away,” Mejia said.

Kendall was someone who was always willing to help a friend, he said. “He was always upbeat and always there for us,” he said.

Nestor Rosales was another friend who came out Friday night to the car meet.

“He treated everyone with respect and treated you like a brother,” Rosales said.

Strangers, too, were touched by Jess Kendall’s tragic death. Mario Grimaldo learned about the event through friends, who saw a social media post about it. He read about the shooting in the media, he said.

As a father of three, Grimaldo said losing a child would be devastating. He wanted to come out and pay his respects to Jess Kendall’s family and friends, he said.

“Jess would be thrilled to see something like this,” Tommy Kendall said. “He took great pride in his car and would love to change out with friends.”

Tommy Kendall said no funeral services have yet been arranged. Chicago police have not given the family an update on the investigation or if any information on whether they have any information on a suspect, he said.

His family is struggling with the loss, he said. Jess is survived by his parents, Doris and Gary Kendall, and two brothers.

“He truly was the light in my life, as are his brothers,” Doris said this past week, noting how much her son accomplished with his landscaping business and automotive work in his short life.

“Everybody is grieving. Everybody is not doing great,” Tommy Kendall said. But the support from family, friends and the community “makes it easier,” he said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.