GRAND BOULEVARD — A 28-year-old man who hoped his rap career would launch him to stardom was fatally shot outside a South Side restaurant Sunday night.
Christopher Thomas, who rapped under the name "Mad Dog" or "MD," was pronounced dead of multiple gunshot wounds just before 8 p.m. Dec. 30.
Two men are in custody in the killing.
Latoya Curry, 30, who lived in Thomas' building and recently ended a year-long relationship with him, said a friend called her around 6:30 p.m. and said she needed to get to East 51st Street and South Indiana Avenue.
There, she found Thomas lying facedown on the ground outside Baba's Famous Steak and Lemonade, where she said he had just eaten dinner. Curry said Thomas' mom and sister were already on the scene when she arrived.
"I just kept saying, 'Please let this not be true,'" Curry told DNAinfo.com Chicago.
Witnesses told Curry they saw two men approach Thomas and try to take his coat, and shot him when Thomas pulled away.
Nearby police, drawn to the scene by the sound of gunshots, followed two suspects in a car down the Dan Ryan expressway, and caught up with them after the offenders' vehicle struck another car on an exit ramp, police said. The two are in custody, police said.
Thomas loved Derrick Rose and recently had the chance to shake his idol's hand at a game at the United Center.
"When he came back, he was so happy," Curry said. "He was telling everyone, 'Don't touch this hand, touch this hand.'"
"He never messed with nobody," Curry said. "He was real nice, kind, sweet and helpful."
His kindness, Curry said, was shown by the way he treated those around him. A small boy in their building used to sometimes stop by Thomas' apartment to talk to him. When Thomas saw the boy's shoes were in bad shape, he gave the boy a pair of his own, Curry said.
Thomas is survived by his nine-year-old daughter, Kaiya.
