A man with a troubling criminal history traveled from Georgia to Chicago to assist in a fatal shooting on the West Side last summer, according to prosecutors.
Donnell Simmons, a 61-year-old individual with two prior convictions for attempted murder, is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of Navell Morris, a 28-year-old man who was fatally shot multiple times on August 17, 2025, at the intersection of Lavergne and Monroe. James Taylor, an alleged accomplice, had previously been charged in the case.
Prosecutors allege that Simmons drove his black 2019 Kia Sportage from Lithonia, Georgia, leaving on August 15 at 4 p.m. and arriving in Chicago around 2 a.m. the following day. Evidence from cell phone location data and license plate reader records on interstate highways is expected to be presented during the trial.
In the hours leading up to the shooting, prosecutors claim that Simmons and Taylor had multiple phone conversations and that Simmons drove past the eventual crime scene three times. Surveillance footage from police cameras reportedly captured Simmons’ vehicle circling the area repeatedly in the hour preceding Morris’ death.
At around 11:39 a.m., video footage allegedly showed Morris standing alone on West Adams Street as Simmons pulled up in the Kia and Taylor exited the rear passenger door. Morris attempted to flee with Taylor in pursuit, firing a 10mm semi-automatic pistol multiple times, as per the allegations.
A witness recorded a portion of the incident on her phone and purportedly saw Simmons getting out of the driver’s seat with what appeared to be a firearm before entering an alley with a noticeable limp. Additional gunshots were recorded while Simmons was in the alley, out of the camera’s view, according to prosecutors.
Morris succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, and investigators recovered both 9mm and 10mm shell casings at the scene.
Following the shooting, the Kia traveled to Rockford, where Ring doorbell camera footage allegedly captured both Taylor and Simmons arriving. Simmons was then seen leaving a residence with a spray bottle and a weighted black plastic bag before opening the rear door of the Kia.
Rockford police later stopped the Kia, which was wanted by the Chicago Police Department in connection with the murder, with Simmons as the only occupant, prosecutors stated.
A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered the black plastic bag containing parts of two ghost guns—a 9mm and a 10mm—along with their slides and barrels removed and discarded. A fingerprint found on the 9mm receiver is said to match Simmons.
Although Simmons was initially released at the traffic stop without charges, he was apprehended months later in Georgia after being identified by witnesses from surveillance footage, prosecutors revealed.
Judge John Hock granted the state’s detention petition, deeming Simmons “an extreme threat.”
