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Edgewater Car Wash Shooting Victim Always 'Had A Smile,' Coworkers Say

By Linze Rice | June 26, 2015 4:15pm | Updated on June 29, 2015 8:27am
 Devone Matthews, 21, was shot in the back and killed while he was standing with coworkers on Thursday.
Devone Matthews, 21, was shot in the back and killed while he was standing with coworkers on Thursday.
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DNAinfo/Linze Rice, Facebook

EDGEWATER — Coworkers of Devone Matthews, 21, who was shot late Thursday afternoon while working his shift at Super Spray Car Wash, were heavyhearted Friday as they remembered their friend who always had a smile even if he was having a bad day, they said.

Around 4:44 p.m. Thursday, Matthews — known to his coworkers at "Von" — was shot by an unknown man while he and two other coworkers were standing close together and talking in a small employee area off the building's car wash garage, his coworkers said.

He was shot in his back in the 5900 block of North Ridge Avenue, according to Officer Stacey Cooper, a Chicago Police spokeswoman. He was later taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston where he was pronounced dead at 5:25 p.m., she said.

Matthews, of the 6100 block of North Damen Avenue in West Ridge, was an only child living with his mother his coworkers say. His mother could not be reached for comment Thursday.

"His back was turned, he wasn't even looking," said coworker Miguel Colon. "He was a very well-liked guy among his fellow employees, he didn't deserve to die like that."

When he was shot, Matthews had only been on the clock for about two hours, Colon said.

Employees of the car wash say it appeared to be a targeted shooting, and that the gunman "didn't even point the gun" at the other two people next to him.

Matthews was shot as he stood here with two other coworkers, where he collapsed and remained down until ambulances arrived. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]

After the shooting the gunman fled by foot from the car wash's interior, heading southwest across the parking lot before hopping a fence and turning onto Paulina Street, they said.

Shortly thereafter, chaos ensued, Colon said, as the situation became "touch and go." A flurry of phone calls was exchanged between employees, police and upper management while trying to keep everyone safe and calm.

Police told the Chicago Tribune the shooter is believed to be a black man in his 20s, with a dark complexion and hair in cornrows. At the time of the shooting, the Tribune wrote he wore a white T-shirt under a black hooded sweatshirt, black jeans and white gym shoes, however police did not confirm that description Friday afternoon.

The car wash, that had been previously roped off with police tape, was open Friday afternoon, which surprised employees who thought the business would be closed after the tragic incident. One employee added that his family now fears for his safety on the job.

Also on Friday afternoon, detectives could be seen canvassing a vacant area near where the shooter fled across the street from the car wash, where employees say a regular group of homeless people may have seen the gunman's face.

Outside a red door that leads into the employee gallery where Matthews was shot lay a bouquet of red roses and two candles. On Thursday, drops of blood could be seen in the same area shortly after the shooting.


A trail of blood could be seen leading out of the employee area where Matthews was shot Thursday. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]

A coworker said he brought the memorial items for his friend Friday morning. He and others described Matthews as a quiet, friendly guy they could always depend on.

The targeted nature of the shooting was surprising to employees: "If he was involved with any gang activity at all, he never exposed it here, we never saw that side of him," one coworker said, who asked not to be identified until there was an arrest made. "We never would expect any danger or confrontation involving him because he was so quiet."

Colon described Matthews as a man who would "smile even if he had a bad day," and had worked with the group since December, before the self-serve car wash formally opened.

"All he did was come to work and then go back home," one coworker said simply. "He was a good friend and a great guy."

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