People gathered at the foot of the Old State Capitol in Springfield on Sunday night to remember a young activist who was murdered in her home on Tuesday.
24-year old Emma Shafer was a well-known community activist, who among other groups worked for the Faith Coalition for Common Good in Springfield. As an organizer for the group, Shafer joined the Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group at Soap Co. Coffee House on August 26, 2022 talking about CO2 pipelines cutting across the region. Shafer was also involved in several organized events around pretrial fairness and the SAFE-T Act around Springfield.
Community members eulogized Shafer for being a bright shining light of positivity and her willingness to help others, especially the less fortunate.
Springfield Police and U.S. Marshals continue to look for the suspect in Shafer’s murder, 25-year old Gabriel Calixto of Bethalto. Calixto is a Latino male with black hair and brown eyes.
If you have any information about Calixto’s whereabouts, contact the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force at 217-492-4430.