Prosecutors say Jerry Lewis was targeted outside his West Madison Street business in a daytime shooting near the United Center.
CHICAGO, IL — Two Chicago men were ordered held pending trial Friday after prosecutors said they carried out a targeted daytime shooting that killed contractor and developer Jerry Lewis near the United Center earlier this week.
Lewis, 67, was a well-known figure in Chicago’s construction community and had been involved in Project 1901, the multibillion-dollar redevelopment planned around the United Center. His death drew attention not only because of where it happened, in the Near West Side in broad daylight, but because prosecutors said police officers saw the attack and arrested the suspects almost immediately. Authorities have charged Nassie Mason, 28, and Erving Harris, 31, with first-degree murder and with illegally possessing weapons as felons. A motive has not been announced.
Police said Lewis was shot shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday in the 2100 block of West Madison Street, near Madison and Leavitt, as he walked between offices near a condo building and his business. Prosecutors said Mason and Harris had waited outside in a stolen gray Honda with stolen license plates for about 90 minutes before Lewis came out. They allegedly wore ski masks and latex gloves, then walked up and opened fire. Prosecutors said Mason shot Lewis in the back of the head and Harris fired additional shots after Lewis fell. Lewis was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died. Six Chicago police officers in an unmarked vehicle witnessed the shooting, according to prosecutors, and moved in right away.
In court Friday, prosecutors described the attack as swift and deliberate. They said the full episode lasted about eight seconds from the moment the men stepped out of the car until officers had them in handcuffs. Officers recovered two semi-automatic guns and four shell casings, prosecutors said. Chicago police said both suspects were taken into custody at about 12:50 p.m. Tuesday in the same West Madison Street block where Lewis was shot. Mason and Harris each face first-degree murder and felon-in-possession charges. Prosecutors also pointed to the men’s criminal histories, saying Mason had previously served prison time and recently faced a gun conviction, while Harris was on parole for an aggravated carjacking and had an earlier narcotics conviction. Court records described in news coverage show the judge ordered both men detained pending trial.
Lewis’ death hit hard in business and neighborhood circles because of the role he played on the West Side. Family members and colleagues said he had built a career as a contractor and developer while also helping smaller firms get into the industry. Relatives said he had been walking to his office when the gunmen came out of nowhere and opened fire. His wife, Zeandra Lewis, described him as someone who wanted other people to succeed. Friends and coworkers said he regularly worked with community groups, helped feed children, supported back-to-school events and mentored people trying to break into construction. Traci Quinn, who leads Pink Hats Construction and Development, said Lewis opened doors for women and smaller businesses that often struggle to gain access to large projects.
That work was tied in part to Project 1901, the $7 billion plan to redevelop land around the United Center, one of the most closely watched development efforts on Chicago’s West Side. News reports said Lewis was considered an important part of that effort and was helping connect neighborhood-based and smaller contractors to opportunities linked to the long-term project. Supporters said he taught classes in his offices, brought in industry professionals and tried to make sure people from the surrounding community could benefit from work generated by the development. That background made the killing especially jarring to those who knew him, because they said Lewis had built his reputation not only as a businessman but as a mentor with a direct hand in shaping economic opportunities in the area.
The criminal case is now moving into its early stages. Friday’s hearing centered on whether Mason and Harris should remain in custody while the murder case proceeds, and the judge ruled that they should. Prosecutors have not publicly outlined a motive, and they have not said whether they believe anyone else was involved in planning or ordering the attack. The charging documents, as described in court, focus on the surveillance video, the officers who saw the shooting, the recovered weapons and the rapid arrest. More details could emerge as evidence is tested, defense lawyers respond in court and prosecutors decide whether to file any additional counts. Future hearings are expected in Cook County court, where the case will move through the standard pretrial process.
Outside the courtroom and at memorial gatherings, the reaction centered on loss as much as on the violence itself. Lewis’ son, Zachery Lewis, said his father had simply been heading to his office when he was killed. Parker Turner, a longtime friend, remembered him as a man who showed up year after year for neighborhood events and youth programs. Quinn said Lewis could be demanding, but she said his standards came from a belief that people in underserved communities deserved a real path into the trades. Those comments painted a fuller picture of the victim as someone whose influence stretched past contracts and development plans into job training, mentoring and community work on the West Side.
Author note: Last updated March 27, 2026.