Lashonda Hearts

Lashonda Hearts, a 47-year-old Black woman, had recently started what friends called her “dream job” as an armored truck driver. An avid churchgoer who was a mother and grandmother, she was so excited about her new position with GardaWorld that she wrote to a friend, “Hard work pays off as well as faithfulness… Ain’t God good?” Her family encouraged her to pursue her dreams, and her brother, a pastor, said she was committed to and loved what she was doing.

On the morning of November 15, 2021, that dream ended in tragedy. Around 10:20 a.m., Lashonda and two colleagues were loading an ATM at a Bank of America branch in Chicago’s West Chatham neighborhood. As they worked, a group of assailants dressed in black and wearing masks ambushed them. The men, armed with two handguns and a rifle, demanded cash. A gun battle erupted, and the robbery attempt was ultimately foiled, with the attackers fleeing empty-handed. In the exchange of gunfire, Lashonda was shot six times. Her 46-year-old male partner was shot twice and critically wounded. A third guard returned fire but was not injured. Lashonda was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, but she did not survive her injuries.

What followed was what police described as a "murderous spree." After fleeing the bank, the suspects were seen on camera at a strip mall, where one of them robbed a Boost Mobile store. Investigators believe that shortly after, the men got into a conflict among themselves. Two of the original robbery suspects allegedly shot and killed their own accomplices, identified as 21-year-old Naiqwon Harper and 27-year-old George Holmes.

The crime spree came to an end after a witness called 911 to report seeing two men run into a nearby house on South Saginaw Avenue. Chicago police surrounded the home and called in a SWAT team. Several people eventually came out and surrendered to police. Inside the residence, officers recovered multiple firearms, including a rifle. Two men, 19-year-old Antwon Montgomery and 20-year-old Deandre Jennings, were taken into custody and subsequently charged.

Montgomery and Jennings were charged with the first-degree murder of Lashonda Hearts, attempted first-degree murder of her wounded partner, and attempted armed robbery. They also face first-degree murder charges for the deaths of their two alleged accomplices. Montgomery was additionally charged with armed robbery and unlawful restraint for the incident at the Boost Mobile store. At a court hearing, a prosecutor said the defendants’ actions were like they “tried to copy every armed robbery movie out there, right down to the double cross.” Both men were ordered held without bail as of November 2021, and the case is proceeding through the court system.