On the afternoon of Friday, October 31, 2025, a 15‑year‑old boy was riding his bike along a sidewalk on Chicago’s Near West Side when gunfire suddenly broke out — a once‑ordinary moment transformed into tragedy.
According to police, the victim, later identified as John Thomas, was near the 1300‑block of West Grenshaw Street (in the Little Italy / University Village area) around 4:15 p.m. when a vehicle pulled up beside him and someone inside opened fire. He was struck in the chest and right leg.
First‑responders found John lying on the ground suffering from the gunshot wounds; he was rushed to the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County where he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators from the 12th District and Area 3 detectives are handling the investigation, but no suspects have been identified and no arrests have been made at this time. Police say they are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses.
Friends and community members described John as polite and full of life — a young boy who enjoyed nothing more than riding his bike outdoors and being around friends and family. Tributes have poured in on social media and from local residents mourning his loss.
His death has become another sorrowful chapter in the fight against youth gun violence in Chicago — unsettling many who live nearby and raising urgent questions about how to protect children from senseless harm.
John’s family now faces the unimaginable: saying goodbye to a son with so much ahead of him, while the neighborhood holds onto hope that someone will come forward and justice will be served.
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