Trial begins for man charged with murder of 2 men in attempted robbery in Chicago's Chinatown
A trial began Monday for a man charged in a shooting that killed two men in Chicago's Chinatown in 2020.
Alvin Thomas is charged with the murders of Huayi Bian, 36, and Weizhing Xiong, 38, during a robbery attempt in a parking lot at Tan Court and Wells Street at 2:15 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020 — a little over a month before the COVID pandemic shutdowns.
Police said the two men were with Xiong's wife when Thomas tried to rob them.
Authorities said Thomas demanded money from the group at gunpoint. Xiong's wife complied, but Xiong himself and Bian resisted and were shot dead, police said at the time.
Thomas ran away, but was apprehended a few blocks away in the 2200 block of South Princeton Avenue, police said at the time.
He is now facing first-degree murder charges.