Anthony L. Johnson, a 31-year-old African-American man, was a resident of Chicago, Illinois, a city he called home his entire life. Known to his loved ones as a man with a good heart, Anthony was navigating the challenges and opportunities of life in the city's South Side communities. His death in the winter of 2017 left a void in the lives of those who knew him and became another painful statistic in a year marked by a high number of homicides across Chicago.
The evening of Wednesday, December 13, 2017, was the last of Anthony’s life. He was in the West Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side. At approximately 7:15 p.m., he was walking along the sidewalk in the 12200 block of South Lowe Avenue when the sound of gunfire suddenly broke the neighborhood’s quiet. According to reports from the Chicago Police Department, an unidentified individual approached Anthony on foot, opened fire, and then fled the scene.
First responders arrived to find Anthony gravely wounded. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen. Paramedics rushed him to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, a nearby suburb. Despite the urgent efforts of the medical staff, Anthony L. Johnson was pronounced dead at the hospital at 8:03 p.m. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed his death was a homicide caused by the gunshot wounds he suffered in the attack.
The investigation into Anthony’s murder was launched by Chicago Police Department detectives. The area on South Lowe Avenue where the shooting occurred is a residential street lined with single-family homes and small apartment buildings, a typical scene in the West Pullman community. Detectives canvassed the area for potential witnesses and any surveillance footage that might have captured the assailant or the moments leading up to the shooting. However, police did not immediately release a description of a suspect or any details about a possible motive for the crime.
In the years since Anthony's death, his case has remained open. No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified by law enforcement. His murder is one of many unsolved homicides in Chicago from that year, leaving his family without answers or a sense of justice. The lack of resolution compounds the grief for his loved ones, who are left to wonder why his life was cut short so violently.
The West Pullman neighborhood, like many areas on Chicago's South and West Sides, has contended with the persistent issue of gun violence. In 2017, the city as a whole recorded more than 650 homicides, and while this was a decrease from the previous year, the number remained tragically high. Each case represents a unique individual story and a family left to mourn. As of late 2023, the investigation into the murder of Anthony L. Johnson is ongoing but has grown cold. Authorities continue to ask for the public’s help. Anyone with information about the shooting that occurred on the evening of December 13, 2017, is urged to contact the Chicago Police Department.
