Thomas Robinson, a 28-year-old Black gender nonconforming individual, was fatally shot on August 17, 2023, in the 300 block of Paxton Avenue in Calumet City, Illinois. Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert and a 911 call at about 11:45 p.m. and found two people with gunshot wounds; Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene while a 25-year-old was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Investigators from Calumet City and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are handling the case, and as of the latest reports no arrests have been announced.

Born and raised in Chicago and later living in East Chicago, Indiana, Thomas graduated from Thornridge High School in 2013 and worked as a cook at a local IHOP. Friends remembered Thomas for creativity and a changing hairstyle aesthetic, sharing artistry online. Authorities say the shooting appeared to have targeted someone else, with Thomas an unintended victim.

Thomas’s death has been noted in reporting on violence against transgender and gender nonconforming people; he was identified as the 17th such person to die violently in 2023 and the 11th Black person in that count for the United States. Crowdfunds have been organized to help cover final expenses and community members have shared tributes and memories.

If anyone has information about the shooting on Paxton Avenue on August 17, 2023, please come forward to the investigators handling the case.