CHICAGO — A shocking execution-style killing in the Cabrini Green neighborhood was caught on surveillance video, and prosecutors say the gunman was someone the victim had known for years.
According to Cook County prosecutors, 51-year-old Maurice Timms is accused of fatally shooting 41-year-old Devon LaSalle in the back and head during a cold-blooded ambush just after midnight on July 13.
The fatal shooting occurred in the 800 block of North Cambridge Avenue, where video allegedly shows Timms opening fire as LaSalle walked away from him. After LaSalle collapsed to the ground, Timms reportedly walked up and fired additional shots while LaSalle lay motionless.
Surveillance Captures Step-by-Step Ambush
Prosecutors presented a detailed timeline from the surveillance footage, which allegedly shows Timms leaving a residence on Locust Street and walking to the courtyard. Roughly 15 minutes later, Timms is seen interacting with LaSalle before raising his arm and firing the initial shots.
After the shooting, Timms fled to a nearby red Ford truck, removed his white shirt — which he had worn during the attack — and placed it in the vehicle. He then changed into a green shirt and returned to a nearby apartment, authorities said.
Arrested Hours Later With Guns in Plain View
About four hours after the murder, a 911 tipster contacted authorities, saying the shooter was inside the red truck parked off Iowa Street. Officers arrived to find Timms in the passenger seat wearing a green shirt and dark pants. Inside the truck, police discovered two black 9mm handguns — one on the floorboard and another on the seat beside him.
Ballistics testing later confirmed that six shell casings recovered from the crime scene matched the gun found on the floorboard. Prosecutors say that weapon was legally owned by a woman whose apartment Timms had visited — but she did not authorize him to take it.
The white shirt Timms wore during the attack was also recovered from the truck.
Witnesses and Video Evidence Corroborate Case
Three separate witnesses have identified Timms from the surveillance footage, which captures his movements before, during, and after the shooting.
The two men were longtime acquaintances who grew up in the Francis Cabrini Homes and had spent time together in the hours leading up to the incident.
Decades-Long Criminal Record and New Charges
Timms has a 30-year criminal history, including past convictions for armed robbery in both Illinois and Georgia. He was also convicted as an armed habitual criminal in 2006 and served time in 2020 for possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
In a prior case from June 2022, Timms had been charged again as a Class X armed habitual criminal but ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor reckless conduct.
On Tuesday, Judge James Costello granted the state’s request to hold Timms without bond while awaiting trial.
He now faces the following charges:
- First-degree murder
- Armed habitual criminal
- Two counts of felon in possession of a firearm
- Possession of a firearm by a repeat felon
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