Man charged with murder of Chicago area violence prevention leader Andre Thomas
A man has been charged with the murder of the leader of a Chicago area violence prevention leader on Halloween in south suburban Chicago Heights.
Alex D. Morris, 54, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 57-year-old Andre M. Thomas.
Chicago Heights police said, around 9:24 p.m. on Oct. 31, officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert in the 400 block of West 14th Street found Thomas, who had been shot multiple times. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators later identified Morris as the gunman. He was arrested in Chicago on Friday. He is due to appear in court on Tuesday in south suburban Markham.
Business owners in the area have said the parking lot where the shooting happened has seen its fair share of crime over the years. They said unlike other nights, there was no police patrol car parked there on the night of the shooting.
The shooting was captured on surveillance video, which shows someone walking toward a parked car with the headlights on and the driver's side door open. Thomas was shot at close range several times.
Thomas spent decades rebuilding his life after serving time in prison — getting his start with violence prevention organizations like Ceasefire and eventually starting his own nonprofit operation, Integrity & Fidelity, which dedicated itself to disrupting violence and changing lives.
"It's not going to be a loss if those he trained, if those that he taught take up his mantle and follow his teachings and turn to what he was trying to do and help save others' lives," Chicago Ald. David Moore (17th) said of Thomas.
Thomas' partner, Nita Ragland, said he took great pride in his violence prevention efforts.
"Now that he's become a victim of what he's trying to prevent ... it's crazy," she said.
Thomas' family said he spent Halloween handing out candy before heading to his office. They said he was waiting for the rest of his crew when he was shot.
