John Thomas was 15 when he was killed in a drive-by shooting on the West Side. The teen, a Black male, was standing on a sidewalk in the 1300-block of West Grenshaw Street in the University Village/Little Italy area when a car rolled up and shots were fired at about 4:15 p.m. on October 31, 2025. He was struck in the chest and leg, taken to Stroger Hospital, and pronounced dead; the Cook County medical examiner later identified him as John Thomas.

Police described the incident as shots fired from a passing vehicle at a teen on the sidewalk. By the afternoon after the shooting the case had been assigned to Area Three detectives; as of November 2, 2025 there had been no arrests and no publicly released description of a suspect. Neighbors watched officers search the block for evidence and the neighborhood returned to its daily rhythms with the investigation ongoing.

If anyone saw the shooting or has information about the car or people involved, please share tips with detectives handling the case.