Barbara Deer and her family were “bright lights for the West Side of Chicago,” according to a politician who was close to her.
She was committed to carrying on the legacy of her late husband, Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer, but that work was violently cut short this week.
Tuesday evening, Barbara Deer and her son, Kaleb, were found shot to death in their East Garfield Park home. An autopsy found Kaleb had killed his mother, then turned the gun on himself.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, a close family friend, called it “a shock to all.”
“This is not something that anybody expected,” Ford told the Sun-Times. "It's going to be a void in the community, on every level. … They were the model Black family in the community.”
Dennis Deer died in 2024 at 51 following complications from a rare double lung transplant. He had served on the Cook County board since 2017 and was widely known for his advocacy for improving mental health care. Ford hoped Barbara and Kaleb’s deaths would push others to continue Dennis Deer’s fight for more mental health programming at the state and federal level.
“I hope that we don't let this be in vain,” said Ford, who’s now running for Congress.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch also released statements Wednesday emphasizing the impact the Deer family had on the city’s West Side.
“The Deer family has long been well-known in the community for their compassion and steadfast commitment to others,” Preckwinkle said. “Their presence and service touched countless lives. There are no words that can make sense of such pain, but I hope the surviving family members find strength in the love that surrounds them.”
Welch called Barbara Deer “a pillar in our community — giving her time, her energy, and her love, including volunteering at our back-to-school health fair year after year.”
An alert, then a shocking discovery
Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, a family friend went to the Deer’s home after Kaleb’s twin brother received a notification on his Apple Watch that his mother had fallen, according to a police report.
When the friend got to the 3500 block of West Arthington Street, he found the family’s dog barking outside, which was “unusual,” according to the report. The family’s car was parked out back, making him think people were home.
The front door was bolted shut, so he texted Barbara and Kaleb Deer, the report said. When those messages went unanswered, he called police.
Officers found Barbara and Kaleb Deer lying in a pool of blood, according to the report. Shell casings were found nearby.
Barbara Deer, 51, suffered three gunshot wounds to her chest. Kaleb, 23, had a single bullet wound to the head, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Barbara Deer was a licensed speech pathologist who worked almost two decades with Chicago Public Schools, according to her LinkedIn page.
She and her husband were high school sweethearts, according to a statement issued after his death.
Dennis Deer was a therapist and counselor who was passionate about mental health.
Born and raised on the city’s West Side, he also served as a senior vice president at Lawndale Christian Legal Center, which offers criminal defense and social services for young people on the West Side.
Last year, the organization named its new headquarters and residential workforce development center in his honor.
