In the quiet hours of May 27, 2025, 38-year-old, Black male, Cordell L. Avant, a man from Chicago's Far South Side, became embroiled in an argument with someone inside a gray SUV along the 11000 block of South Ashland Avenue in Morgan Park. The dispute turned sudden and lethal: shots were fired from the vehicle, striking Cordell L. Avant multiple times. He was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where the 38-year-old male was pronounced dead.
Police at first reported no arrests, and Area 2 detectives opened an investigation into the killing of Cordell L. Avant, age 38.
Within hours, detectives identified a suspect and moved to make an arrest. According to Chicago police, 33-year-old Thomas Phelps was taken into custody at 3:10 p.m. the same day in the 8200 block of South Peoria Street. Authorities allege that during the argument, Phelps fired multiple shots from the gray SUV before fleeing, leaving 38-year-old Cordell L. Avant mortally wounded. Two days after the shooting, officials announced that Phelps had been charged with first-degree murder and several drug offenses; he was slated for a detention hearing on May 30. Separate reports noted that Phelps, of the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, was accused of opening fire around 1:15 a.m., and that the victim, 38-year-old male Cordell L. Avant, was struck several times in the body.
News outlets and memorial sites later recorded the death of Cordell L. Avant, age 38, on May 27, 2025, in Chicago, reflecting how quickly a street-side quarrel became a fatal encounter. The early account emphasizing the gray SUV and the Morgan Park location would soon be joined by the charging announcement naming a single suspect—Phelps—while investigators continued to piece together the minutes before the gunfire that ended the life of 38-year-old male Cordell L. Avant.
