In the early minutes before dawn on September 20, 2021, 25-year-old Hispanic male Javier Alcantara Jr. was found shot to death in the driver's seat of a 2014 Chrysler 300 at the Citgo on the corner of Sunset Avenue and North Green Bay Road in Waukegan, Illinois.
First responders were called just before 5:00 a.m., and paramedics pronounced the 25-year-old male dead at the scene.
The Lake County coroner later confirmed that Javier Alcantara Jr. died of multiple gunshot wounds and clarified that he most recently lived in Waukegan.
Investigators documented shell casings near the pumps and began canvassing the area and pulling surveillance video.
Early accounts indicated the shooter fled in an SUV heading south on Green Bay Road; a preliminary description from the scene identified the suspect only as a male Hispanic who left the lot quickly after the gunfire.
By that afternoon, authorities publicly identified the victim as 25-year-old Hispanic male Javier Alcantara Jr., and the case was classified as a homicide.
Independent tracking sites recorded the location as the Citgo at 2135 North Green Bay Road and the date as September 20, 2021, aligning with police and coroner timelines.
As of the initial week of reporting, Waukegan police had not announced an arrest, a definitive suspect identification, or a motive.
Public updates available from that period reiterated that detectives were investigating and asked for tips, while noting there was no detailed suspect description beyond the brief on-scene account.
No official statements naming an arrested person in connection with the killing appeared in contemporaneous coverage.
