Giovanny Alvarado, a 24-year-old Hispanic male, was tragically killed on April 24, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois. The incident occurred in the 1300 block of East 71st Place, where Alvarado was lured to a South Side alley through the social media app Snapchat. Malik Wilson, a 23-year-old acquaintance of Alvarado, was identified as the suspect. According to Cook County prosecutors, Wilson fired twice, causing Alvarado to fall to the ground.
A witness reported seeing Alvarado stretch out his arms "as if begging" before Wilson fired additional shots, ultimately striking Alvarado five times. Alvarado was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the incident.
The investigation revealed that Wilson and Alvarado knew each other from a GED class and had previously fought. On the day of the attack, Wilson instructed Alvarado to meet him at the specified location. Alvarado sent a series of Snapchat messages to Wilson while on his way there. Around 2:40 p.m., the police gunshot detection system, ShotSpotter, reported two gunshots in the area, followed by six more. A witness saw a man dressed in all black and wearing a black mask fire the shots and then flee the scene. Detectives tracked the suspect on surveillance video to Dorchester Avenue, where he was seen removing his mask.
Approximately a month later, Wilson was arrested in downstate McLean County on suspicion of attempted armed robbery. The gun he was carrying matched the shell casings from the Alvarado shooting, and Wilson was the registered owner of the weapon. Additionally, Wilson's cellphone was placed near the scene of the crime. While in custody, Wilson allegedly confessed to a fellow detainee that he had used the same gun to kill someone earlier. Chicago police and U.S. Marshals arrested Wilson at the McLean County Jail on a warrant for Alvarado's murder.
Wilson's defense attorney criticized the evidence as circumstantial, arguing that it was insufficient for a no-bail hold. Despite this, Judge Susana Ortiz deemed Wilson a "danger to the community" and ordered him held without bail. The motive for the attack remains unclear, but Alvarado's mother, Sylvia Alvarado, expressed her grief and disbelief, stating that her son "did not deserve this" and was "never about guns — he was about gloves." Alvarado, who worked in construction, was remembered as a North Sider who had a passion for boxing.
