CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chicago police said “picture-perfect” cooperation between the community and police led to the quick arrest of a suspect in the murder of a 71-year-old man in Chinatown this week; but they still do not know why the gunman shot him.
Police said 23-year-old Alfonso Joyner was arrested minutes after he allegedly shot and killed 71-year-old Woom Sing Tse in cold blood Tuesday, all because the community called police and provided surveillance video showing the whole thing: a gunman firing from his car as Tse walked along 23rd Place, then getting out of the car, standing over Tse and shooting him several more times, before the gunman casually walked backed to his car and drove away.
Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said that surveillance video was key.
"9th District officers immediately used their intelligence. They were seeking to go to a location where they thought the vehicle may land. Instead, those 9th District officers actually found the vehicle on the expressway," he said.
But, Alphonso Joyner refused to talk to investigators when he was arrested, so the motive remains unknown. He has been charged with first-degree murder.
Grace Chan McKibben of the Coalition for a Better Chinese-American Community said safety is often cited as the biggest concern in Chinatown.
"Whenever something like this happens, it’s devastating, but we’re glad that in this case, it was solved quickly," she said.
Police are investigating whether Joyner may have been involved in other random shootings, particularly on the North Side.
“Detectives from the North Side have already reached out to these detectives, and we’re comparing everything we possibly can from those cases to this case or any other case that may appear to a random act of violence,” Deenihan said at a news conference Wednesday night announcing the charges.
“We don’t know at this time but we’re definitely investigating that based on what happened here,” he said.
Joyner had two previous gun arrests, Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said Wednesday. He was also charged with possession of a revoked Firearm Owner’s Identification Card.
Joyner was expected to appear in court Thursday.
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