Black Man Freed 3 Years Ago of Murder Charge Tragically Shot
Chicago police say a man who got a second chance at life when murder charges against him were dropped three years ago was killed in a shootout this week after he tried to rob a man with whom he shared a long drug history.  Alprentiss Nash was released from prison in August 2012 after serving 17 years for a murder charge that was later dropped by Cook County prosecutors when DNA evidence cleared him.
His death is a sad thing because he’s looked at by the public as a man who was given a second chance and blew it when in fact he is the sad statistic of so many Black men who are wrongfully sent to prison for years just because someone white (most of the time) identified him as the guilty party. Alprentiss Nash spent 17 years in prison for a crime  he did not commit. And when released was offered nothing more than an apology and told  . .  ‘ the system works.’
This sadly comes  when we witness the inexcusable death of Samuel Dubose by University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing who shot the unarmed Black man sitting  in his car in cold blood. The police officer lied only to be revealed by the body cam he wore. The point here is that had not the accounting of what happened from the body cam been available, the authorities would have believed the officers story as has occurred for so many years. Black men have been unjustly imprisoned just as they’ve been murdered.
Alprentiss like so many Black men get caught up in a system that vilifies them and destroys all hope for and or  opportunities for a normal life. Accused, tried and sentenced immediately because of their race/the color of their skin.
Alprentiss was given a second chance? Really? How was he prepared to  make a life for himself  after being locked up in prison for 17 years? What provisions were made to assist him in getting acclimated to life outside of prison?
The unfortunate turn of events for Alprenstiss is not surprising given the statistics of  men released from prison who fall into the life of crime. Their choices of survival outside of crime are slim.
The police account came as a shock to the family of Alprentiss Nash, who believe he was fatally shot during an armed robbery after he left a currency exchange on the Near West Side.
According to the department, Nash, 40, attempted to rob 30 year old Paul Vukadinovic, of Mount Prospect, during a drug deal. Nash drew his weapon first, both exchanged gunfire, and Nash was mortally wounded, said Anthony Guglielmi, a police spokesman.
The shooting took place around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday near West Van Buren and South Ashland Avenue, police said.
Guglielmi said detectives are conferring with Cook County prosecutors about whether Vukadinovic acted in self-defense. He was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and carrying a handgun without a proper concealed carry permit.
Even though it was during a criminal or unlawful exchange between the two men, if it’s true that Nash pulled his gun first, it appears to be a clear case of self defense for Paul Vukadinovic .
However, Nash’s mother, Yvette Martin, said she was disappointed that murder charges weren’t filed in her son’s death. “How can he not be charged for killing my son?” she asked
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