Arrest warrant issued in fatal shooting of man who was driving daughter to school on West Side

72-year-old shot with paintball gun over parking lot dispute in South Shore, police say
Avanta Ware is wanted for a murder Sept. 1 in Chicago. Photo credit Chicago police

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- An arrest warrant has been issued for a man charged with killing a father who was driving his daughter to school earlier this month on the West Side.

The warrant charges Avanta Ware with the murder of 33-year-old Travell Miller, Chicago police announced Wednesday. Ware is also wanted for two counts of carjacking in Berwyn.

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Miller was stopped in traffic the morning of Sept. 1 in the 3000 block of West Chicago Avenue when Ware got out of another car, walked up and opened fire, police said. Miller was hit four times and pronounced dead.

Miller bent over to protect his 7-year-old daughter, who was in the passenger seat and was uninjured, family said.

Detectives shared photos of the suspected shooter the day after the murder, seeking to identify him.

Police on Wednesday said Ware, 18, was last seen driving a silver 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix with no plates and with possible damage to the driver’s side rear quarter panel.

Arrest warrant issued in fatal shooting of man who was driving daughter to school on West Side
Travell Miller was killed shielding his daughter from gunfire Sept. 1 on the West Side, family says. He had moved to the neighborhood five days earlier. Photo credit Provided

Family has said detectives were investigating if the shooting stemmed from road rage. The relatives said they had no other idea why Miller would have been targeted, saying he had no enemies and had just moved to the area days earlier.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Miller’s father said the murder charges were “appropriate.”

“They need to get him before he hurts someone else, or he needs to receive what he gave” Joseph Gilmore said.

“When people lead risky lives, you expect something to happen to them,” Gilmore added. “But when someone who wasn’t at risk falls to violence, it’s depressing. It’s hard to move on from this — especially since Travell was such a lively person.”

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2021. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Featured Image Photo Credit: Chicago police