Sammy Hodges, a 43-year-old African American man, was shot and killed on March 10, 2019, in Chicago’s West Side Austin neighborhood. The shooting happened about 6:15 a.m. on the 600 block of North Cicero Avenue. Hodges was standing on the street when he was shot multiple times, suffering wounds to his back and leg; he was taken to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Investigators tied the killing to gang violence linked to the Wicked Town faction of the Traveling Vice Lords, a group blamed for a pattern of murders, attempted murders, armed robberies and assaults in the Austin area aimed at protecting drug-dealing operations and intimidating rivals and witnesses. Federal authorities later charged 13 alleged leaders, members and associates in a racketeering indictment; Victor Turner is named in the indictment as the person accused of murdering Sammy Hodges. All 13 defendants are in law enforcement custody and legal proceedings are ongoing.

Anyone with information about Hodges, the March 10, 2019 shooting, or Wicked Town activity in the Austin neighborhood is asked to come forward.