Demonte X. Smith, 28, was shot and killed on February 12, 2021, at a gas station in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. According to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, he was sitting in a parked vehicle with another man when an unknown assailant opened fire, striking Demonte multiple times. He was taken to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead; the other man, 27, survived a gunshot wound to his arm.

Investigators identified Quaneesha Johnson, described as Demonte’s girlfriend, as involved in the incident. Body camera footage captured police on scene as an argument occurred; officers found Quaneesha had retrieved a tire iron and a handgun and then shot Demonte. Quaneesha said she acted in self-defense and had called police earlier that night asking for protection from Demonte, whom she described as an ex-felon.

The facts raise questions about what happened at the gas station and how the shooting unfolded in front of responding officers. If anyone witnessed the shooting or knew Demonte or Quaneesha, please come forward with information.