Jarvis Coleman, a 24-year-old African American male, was tragically shot and killed on March 22, 2016, in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL. The incident occurred around 3:45 p.m. in the parking lot of a Quick Market located at 2 North Keeler Avenue. Coleman was approached by John Montgomery, who pulled out a loaded semi-automatic handgun and fired multiple times at the unarmed victim.
Despite Coleman's attempts to flee, Montgomery continued to shoot, striking him in the upper right chest, upper left thigh, buttocks, left flank, and left forearm. Coleman was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Jarvis Coleman's death led to the arrest of John Montgomery, who was charged with first-degree murder. Surveillance footage from the Quick Market captured Montgomery wearing a gray hoodie while he opened fire on Coleman. Additionally, multiple fired cartridge cases were recovered from the scene. About four hours after the shooting, detectives investigating the case encountered Montgomery in the area of the 200 block of North Karlov Avenue. As the officers approached, Montgomery opened fire on them with a .380 semi-automatic handgun, striking the driver's side window and skimming the door of the police car. Montgomery then fled to a nearby residence, where he hid the weapon, but was apprehended within 20 minutes thanks to witnesses who alerted the officers to his location.
Montgomery was subsequently charged with multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder for shooting at the police officers. The recovered handgun was sent to the Illinois State Police forensic lab for testing, which confirmed that the bullets and casings matched those recovered from Coleman's body and the scene of the shooting. Montgomery's actions and the evidence collected led to his being held without bail. The case against Montgomery included video statements in which he admitted to shooting at the officers, further solidifying the charges against him.
