Eighteen-year-old Jahlein Towner was fatally shot in Gary, Indiana, after an encounter on July 25, 2024. While walking near his home on Colfax Street with another person, Towner and his companion approached a green and white pickup truck after believing they recognized the driver. The driver, later identified as 23-year-old Dontrell Lamar Williams, reportedly exited the vehicle and opened fire, and Towner was struck in the head.

Towner was taken to Methodist Hospital Northlake and then airlifted to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died of his wounds on July 31, 2024. Authorities tracked and apprehended the driver using the truck’s license plate and GPS; the vehicle was a company truck and video from the vehicle reportedly captured the shooting. Charges were initially for attempted murder and were upgraded to murder after Towner’s death.

If anyone was in the area of Colfax Street that day or has information about the incident or the truck, please come forward.