Leonard Stricklin, a 37-year-old African American man, was shot and killed on January 31, 2020, in his apartment in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds. The shooting occurred during a domestic altercation with his 43-year-old girlfriend, who also lived in the apartment; both were armed with .357-caliber revolvers.

Chicago police arrested the woman at the scene; she held a state firearms identification card and a license to carry a concealed weapon. She told investigators the fight began as a verbal dispute, that Stricklin shoved her into a wall and threatened to kill her, and that she fired in self-defense. The case was investigated as a first-degree murder, but the state’s attorney declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence, and the woman was released about 24 hours after her arrest.

Does anyone have information about Leonard’s life in Austin or the events leading up to that night?