CHICAGO – A 67-year-old man was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in the Near West Side, and two suspects were arrested minutes later, Chicago police said.
What we know:
Nassie Mason, 28, and Erving Harris, 31, were taken into custody around 12:50 p.m. in the 2100 block of West Madison Street, near the United Center.
Nassie Mason and Erving Harris | CPD
Police said the two men approached 67-year-old Jerry Lewis on the street just minutes earlier, pulled out handguns and opened fire. Lewis was struck in the head and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died.
Mason and Harris are each charged with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
Dig deeper:
Surveillance video shows a stolen grey Honda outside Lewis’s office building that he owned for 90 minutes prior to the incident, according to court documents. They were wearing ski masks and latex gloves.
According to a witness, Lewis was headed to the door of the adjacent office building that he also owns. The witness, who was already inside, went to go open the door for him when she saw the defendants get out of the car. According to the witness, Mason approached Lewis from behind as he was about to open the door, and Mason fired one shot into the back of Lewis’s head. The witness said she took cover and heard more gunshots.
Surveillance footage from across the street shows Mason and Harris get out of the Honda and approach Lewis from behind and fire one round into Lewis.
Standing over Lewis, the footage shows Harris firing three more rounds into Lewis before both Mason and Harris fled the scene. But as they tried to flee, they were met by six Chicago police officers.
According to police, Mason attempted to re-rack his gun but was unsuccessful and dropped the gun and ran east before he was quickly detained by police. Harris took a few steps toward the Honda, but then dropped his gun and raised his hands in the air, police said.
Lewis was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead from the gunshot wounds.
The Honda was reported stolen in early March, and it had plates stolen from a different car, court documents said.
Both Mason and Harris have a criminal history. Harris was on parole for vehicular hijacking at the time of his arrest, according to court documents.
What we don’t know:
It remains unclear what led up to the shooting and whether the victim knew the suspects.
What’s next:
Both Mason and Harris are due in court for a detention hearing on Friday.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
