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Judge Orders Two Held in Killing of Chicago Contractor Near United Center

Prosecutors cite video plus police eyewitnesses to argue the attack was planned.

Overview

  • Jerry Lewis, 67, a contractor tied to the $7 billion Project 1901 around the United Center, was shot in the head near Madison and Leavitt as he walked between offices on Tuesday and later died at Stroger Hospital.
  • Police on patrol saw the shooting unfold and arrested two masked suspects within seconds, according to prosecutors and court testimony.
  • Nassie Mason, 28, and Erving Harris, 31, were charged with first-degree murder and felon-in-possession, and a judge on Friday ordered them detained pending trial as investigators have not identified a motive.
  • Prosecutors described a planned ambush, saying surveillance showed a stolen Honda waiting outside Lewis’s office for about 90 minutes and that the shooters wore latex gloves and opened fire as he reached a doorway.
  • Recovered firearms matched four shell casings at the scene, prosecutors said, and evidence included an extended magazine and a handgun conversion device found with the car.