On January 6, 2020, 23-year-old Chikiris Murphy, an African American man, was shot and killed in University Park, Illinois. Murphy was inside Mike’s Food Mart with his sister’s boyfriend when he was aggressively confronted by 23-year-old Justin Regular. Murphy completed his purchase and left the store, but Regular was waiting outside. As Murphy walked toward him, Regular drew a handgun and shot Murphy multiple times. Murphy was taken to Franciscan St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields, where he was pronounced dead.

Multiple eyewitnesses identified Regular as the shooter. He was charged with first-degree murder; court records show he pled guilty on March 11, 2024, and on April 3, 2024, Circuit Judge Sarah Jones sentenced him to 30 years in prison to be served at 100 percent, plus three years of mandatory supervised release, with credit for 1,520 days served in jail. Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow described the killing as a senseless act of gun violence. The University Park Police Department and the Major Crimes Task Force handled the investigation.

If anyone knew Chikiris Murphy, his routines, or saw what happened at or near Mike’s Food Mart that day, please share information.