Tommie L. Pledge, a 31-year-old African American male, was tragically shot and killed inside a West Side cell phone store in Chicago, IL, on March 2, 2016. The incident occurred at Division Quick Stop and Cellular, located near the corner of Division Street and Lawndale Avenue in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood. According to reports, a group of individuals entered the store, and the shooting ensued shortly after.
The police have not released detailed information about the shooter, but the investigation remains ongoing.
Deshun Jones and Terran Scott, both members of the Four Corner Hustlers gang, were identified as the perpetrators of the crime. On the day of the incident, Jones was seen talking to someone at the back of the store while Scott repeatedly entered and exited the store, talking and texting on his cellphone. When Tommie L. Pledge entered the store and approached the counter, Scott allegedly shot him several times in the back. A witness, who took cover during the shooting, saw Jones walk up to Pledge, remove a gun from his waistband, and fire additional shots at Pledge while he was on the ground.
Following the shooting, the gunmen fled the scene. Later that day, Chicago Police spotted Scott and Jones getting into a Dodge Challenger. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, Scott sped away, eventually crashing the car. Jones exited the vehicle and dropped the weapon but managed to escape. Scott was arrested, and police recovered two 9mm handguns. Ballistic tests confirmed that the casings from the crime scene matched the recovered handguns.
Scott was charged with murder, and Jones was arrested in Indiana in late March. Jones, who graduated from high school in 2010 and was expecting a baby with his girlfriend, was ordered held without bail. The investigation into Tommie L. Pledge's murder continues, with authorities working to bring justice to the victim and his family.
