Lavell Mathis, a 25-year-old male from Chicago, IL, was tragically killed on November 8, 2020. Mathis was walking through a vacant lot in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago when he was approached by an unknown assailant who fired multiple shots at him. Mathis suffered gunshot wounds to his abdomen and armpit and was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Cook County medical examiner's office later ruled his death a homicide.
Following the incident, Alex Thomas, a 20-year-old male from the South Austin neighborhood, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with Mathis's death. Surveillance footage from the scene showed Thomas following Mathis out of a fast food restaurant parking lot and shooting him multiple times with a .40-caliber handgun. Thomas was arrested several days later and held without bail due to the substantial circumstantial evidence linking him to the crime.
Thomas, who was identified as a member of the Insane Vice Lords street gang, had a prior criminal record, including a 2019 aggravated unlawful use of a weapon charge and several juvenile convictions for weapon and drug offenses. During the investigation, detectives found a watch belonging to Mathis in Thomas's car and multiple photos on social media showing Thomas in the area before the shooting. A sweatshirt matching the shooter's clothing was also found in Thomas's home and tested positive for gunshot residue.
The case against Thomas was built on this circumstantial evidence, and he was expected to face trial for the murder of Lavell Mathis. The motive for the attack was not explicitly stated by the prosecutors, but it was suggested that Thomas's gang affiliation might have played a role.
In summary, Lavell Mathis, a 25-year-old male, was fatally shot in a targeted attack in Chicago, leading to the arrest and charging of Alex Thomas, a 20-year-old gang member, with first-degree murder. The investigation revealed substantial evidence linking Thomas to the crime, and he was held without bail pending trial.
