CAUGHT

Man Charged in Murder of Chicago Dance Teacher Verndell Smith

Verndell Smith, who was known in the community for creating a safe space for children at his dance studio, was gunned down in a parking lot.

A man has been charged in the May 2021 killing of dance coach Verndell Smith on the South Side of Chicago, according to Cook County prosecutors. Surveillance footage allegedly identified Diontay Kimberly in a video that showed him driving into a parking lot and shooting at Smith, who was talking on the phone, in his leg, arm, forehead, and torso. Smith was well known in the community for running a dance studio that was seen as a safe space for children. “He wanted to give other children an outlet to forget their struggles in life,” his sister said. “People came in the door not knowing how to dance. And they left, as we’d say, ‘the coldest in Chicago.’” Smith’s sister LaToya expressed relief at justice being “served.” “It’s bittersweet,” she said. “I can never get my brother back, but I can show this to his dance kids and how (police) are gonna get the bad guys.”