Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of three masked gunmen who fatally shot 26-year-old Gabryel Ayers in a brazen daylight attack in Auburn Gresham. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when Ayers was sitting in a vehicle on the 7900 block of South May Street. The gunmen approached the vehicle and opened fire, resulting in Ayers being struck multiple times and later succumbing to her injuries at Loyola University Medical Center. A 27-year-old man in the vehicle also sustained gunshot wounds to his buttocks and arm but is in good condition. Thankfully, a young child who was present in the vehicle was unharmed.
Video footage captured by a passing motorist and shared online by Chicago Critter shows the gunmen dressed in black clothing emerging from a red car and firing at the victims’ vehicle. They then returned to their getaway car, which stopped near the crashed vehicle to allow the gunmen to fire additional shots at the victims.
Paul Rutherford, Executive Director of Cook County Crime Stoppers, condemned the attack as “senseless and cowardly,” emphasizing the need for the public’s assistance in identifying and apprehending those responsible for the heinous crime. Additionally, the organization is offering a separate $10,000 reward for information related to a similar ambush that resulted in two men being killed and another severely injured on the West Side the previous day.
In that incident, three men were inside a vehicle at a White Castle on W. Roosevelt Road when three masked gunmen approached on foot and opened fire, causing the victims’ vehicle to catch fire. Two of the victims managed to escape, but a 28-year-old man was found dead with a gunshot wound to his chest, while a 35-year-old man perished inside the burning vehicle. A 44-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to his back and was taken to Stroger Hospital.
Surveillance footage revealed three Black males fleeing the scene in a gray Dodge Durango, with one armed with a handgun and the other two carrying firearms. The Chicago Police Department is urging anyone with information on either incident to come forward by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-535-STOP, visiting the online portal at www.CPDTIP.com, or emailing TIPS@cookcountycrimestoppers.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may receive a reward if their information leads to charges being filed.
