Jon Rucker

On the evening of Monday, February 26, 2024, Jon Rucker, a 47-year-old Black man, was using an ATM in Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood when he was struck by a stray bullet. He was one of two innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of a shootout near the intersection of 71st and State Streets. Rucker was shot in the head and rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries two days later on Wednesday, February 28.

The violence began around 5:40 p.m. when an argument erupted between two men. According to prosecutors, 53-year-old Trivell Pruitt opened fire on a 30-year-old man, wounding him in the leg. Pruitt then reportedly exchanged gunfire with a second, unidentified shooter and was himself shot in the leg. During the shootout, Rucker was hit at the ATM, and another bystander, 59-year-old Simon Brown Sr., was shot while buying a lottery ticket for his wife. Brown was wounded in the abdomen and died at a hospital shortly after the shooting.

Chicago police found Pruitt inside a nearby Subway restaurant at about 8:30 p.m. and took him to a medical center in critical condition. He was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Simon Brown. The entire incident was captured by surveillance video. The second shooter involved in the exchange with Pruitt fled the scene and remains at large.

In the days that followed, the Greater Grand Crossing community gathered to mourn and call for peace. On Friday, March 1, a prayer vigil was held at Shiloh Seventh Day Adventist Church, just blocks from where the shooting occurred. Family members, including Simon Brown's son, attended the service. "I've really not felt alone since I heard about it," Simon Brown Jr. said, expressing his gratitude for the community's support. "I've always been supported, now especially by the community."

As of early March 2024, Trivell Pruitt was being held in jail while awaiting trial for the murder of Simon Brown. No murder charges have been filed in connection with Jon Rucker's death. The investigation is ongoing as police continue their search for the second shooter.