In the early morning hours of July 31, 2025, the lives of two Chicago men were cut short in a burst of gunfire on a street in Gary, Indiana. Dante Givens, a 37-year-old African American male, was behind the wheel of a vehicle, with 36-year-old Deon Stewart in the passenger seat, when the fatal encounter occurred. The two men were stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of 37th Avenue and Grant Street when another vehicle pulled up alongside them.
From the adjacent vehicle, a
gunman opened fire, striking both Givens and Stewart multiple times. Two passengers in the back seat of Givens' SUV were unharmed and later provided crucial witness testimony. After the shooting, the SUV moved to the nearby Village Shopping Center parking lot, where two individuals flagged down police officers who were in the area investigating the sound of gunshots around 3:45 a.m. Both Dante Givens and Deon Stewart were pronounced dead at the scene. The Lake County Coroner's Office officially declared Givens' time of death as 4:40 a.m. and ruled the manner of death a homicide due to gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the double homicide was spearheaded by the Lake County Prosecutor's Homicide Task Force. Detectives utilized a combination of evidence, including video surveillance from nearby businesses, license plate readers, social media evidence, and witness statements to piece together the events of that morning. This evidence led them to identify 35-year-old Alex Dominque Russell of Gary as the suspected shooter.
On August 5, 2025, murder charges were secured against Russell, and on August 29, 2025, he was apprehended in Gary through a coordinated effort by the U.S. Marshals and the Indiana State Police. Russell faces a litany of charges, including two counts of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, unlawful carrying of a handgun, and driving while suspended, along with a felony firearm enhancement. If convicted, he could face a sentence of more than 150 years in prison.
