On the night of February 28, 2023, in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, Tracey Angelique Allen-Showers, a 55-year-old African American female, was returning home after picking up her daughter when gunfire erupted on the 5500 block of West Le Moyne Street. As the 55-year-old female stepped from her car, a stray round struck her in the back of the head; family at the scene realized she had been hit and paramedics rushed her to Loyola University Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
Some memorial listings note that although the 55-year-old Tracey Allen-Showers was shot on February 28, she succumbed to her wounds the following day, March 1.
The loss reverberated through Greater St. John Bible Church, where Tracey served as a devoted volunteer and where friends and relatives described her as a guiding light for her family and congregation. In the days after the killing, West Side faith leaders announced a $10,000 reward for information, and the church's pastor later created the Tracey Showers Faithful Servant Award to honor a woman known for community service each year. Loved ones, including her husband, spoke publicly about his wife, Tracey Angelique Allen-Showers's kindness and the aching hole left by her absence.
Within weeks, detectives and prosecutors announced an arrest. Baseer Muhammad, 23, was taken into custody and charged in the death of the 55-year-old Tracey Angelique Allen-Showers. He faced counts including first-degree murder, reckless discharge of a firearm, and aggravated assault; he was also charged with possession of a stolen vehicle tied to events that night. A Cook County judge ordered him held without bail.
Prosecutors said the shooting of 55-year-old Tracey Angelique Allen-Showers was part of a violent spree that began with an armed carjacking of an Audi in nearby Oak Park, allegedly carried out by Muhammad and another man who was on electronic monitoring. Shortly afterward, Muhammad allegedly fired at a motorist on North Lorel Avenue before pulling alongside the 55-year-old female's vehicle on West Le Moyne and firing the single round that killed her.
Investigators traced surveillance video from a CVS that matched clothing Muhammad was seen wearing; when they recovered the stolen Audi, they found 11 spent shell casings inside. A later search turned up clothing seen on video, credit cards from the carjacking victims, and a bullet that matched casings from the Audi and the murder scene, according to prosecutors.
Local reports list Muhammad as the arrested suspect in the killing of 55-year-old Tracey Angelique Allen-Showers from Chicago, Illinois. At the time of the charging announcements, officials described the attack as random and unprovoked; subsequent court appearances kept him detained without bail while the case proceeded.
It must be noted, that early reports stated the 55 year old victim, Tracey Angelique Allen-Showers was struck in the face by a stray bullet. Upon Medical Examiners reporting, it is stated the victim was struck in the back of the head not front as previously reported.
