Ronald L. Allen, a 73-year-old Black man, was killed in a drive-by shooting before dawn on Friday, December 2, 2016, in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. He was driving on the 1300 block of North Laramie Avenue after an evening playing cards with friends when his vehicle was struck by gunfire and then collided with parked cars; he was pronounced dead in the early morning hours.

Allen had deep ties to both Chicago and the western suburbs, including Naperville. He was a well-known insurance agent and businessman, described as one of the first Black owners of an insurance agency backed by a national company and remembered as a community leader who worked to bridge gaps between police and local neighborhoods. Detectives treated the killing as a drive-by and said at first it was unclear whether Allen was the intended target. No one was in custody on the day of the homicide, and a reward was publicized for information. Years later the case remained listed as unsolved with no arrests announced and no suspects publicly named.

Did anyone in Austin or the western suburbs know Ronald Allen’s routine or see anything that morning that could help identify those responsible?