On the afternoon of February 24, 2024, Ana Gil, a 24-year-old female, was walking with a friend, 28-year-old Rodrigo Olivan, on a sidewalk in the 400 block of Powell Avenue in their hometown of Waukegan, Illinois. At around 4:20 p.m., a silver SUV drove past, and its occupants opened fire on them. Olivan was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Gil was shot nine times but managed to call 911 for help before being rushed to Advocate Condell Medical Center in critical condition. She succumbed to her injuries three days later, on February 27. The Lake County Coroner’s Office determined her cause of death was complications from multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators with the Waukegan Police Department soon discovered that the shooting was the culmination of a violent crime spree that began earlier that day in Chicago. There, a man later identified as Tylo Eddins, 18, allegedly carjacked an Uber driver, stealing his 2020 Kia Sorrento.
Eddins then drove the Kia to Waukegan, where he put on a mask and robbed a person at gunpoint in the 500 block of South Genesee Street, taking $20. After the robbery, Eddins picked up a second man, 19-year-old Ishawn Z. Pitts of North Chicago.
The pair then drove to Powell Avenue, where they encountered Gil and Olivan walking. Police said evidence showed Eddins fired first, striking both victims. He then allegedly told Pitts to "finish them off," and Pitts fired numerous additional shots. In total, approximately 22 rounds were fired at the two victims. After the shooting, the suspects fled in the stolen Kia, which they later crashed into a fence in the nearby town of Zion before fleeing on foot. Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain described the attack as a "senseless shooting" and an "absolute travesty," stating that the victims were completely random and had no ties to the suspects or any criminal activity.
Detectives linked the crashed Kia to the double homicide and recovered evidence from the vehicle and a subsequent search in Zion. On February 28, Eddins was arrested in Killeen, Texas, on unrelated burglary charges. The following day, Waukegan detectives took Pitts into custody on an outstanding aggravated robbery warrant. During questioning, Pitts allegedly confessed to his role in the Powell Avenue shooting.
Both men were charged with first-degree murder. Pitts was ordered to be held at the Lake County Jail to await trial. Eddins was held in Texas while awaiting extradition to Illinois.
In September 2024, Tylo Eddins was successfully extradited from Texas to Lake County, Illinois, where a judge also denied him pre-trial release. As of that month, criminal proceedings against both Eddins and Pitts were pending trial.
