Xavier Lofton, 29, was shot and killed on December 2, 2022, while driving on Chicago’s West Side. The shooting occurred around 11:20 p.m. as Lofton and a 29-year-old female friend were driving south on South Cicero Avenue; a gunman inside a beige SUV opened fire and Lofton was struck multiple times. He was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he later died. His female companion was critically wounded and taken to Stroger Hospital.

The shooting triggered a chaotic traffic crash in which a 37-year-old man driving a Cadillac SRX was also struck by gunfire and fatally crashed into several vehicles, and 50-year-old pedestrian Willie Williams was killed when hit by the Cadillac; the Cook County Medical Examiner classified Williams’ death as a traffic accident. Chicago Police are investigating Lofton’s murder; no arrests have been announced and the motive is unclear. Family and friends describe him as an aspiring actor who had appeared in a web series and short films.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to come forward.