An act of peacemaking cost Angelo Davis his life in the summer of 2016. The 36-year-old Black man, a former student of Tilden High School and Kennedy-King College in Chicago, was known to his family as someone who would step in to calm a volatile situation. His intervention in a heated argument on a Thursday evening in the city’s Fuller Park neighborhood led to a fatal encounter that would take his life a week later.
On the evening of June 9, 2016, Angelo was on the 5300 block of South Princeton Avenue. According to prosecutors, his cousin, Nickita Appleton, was in a dispute with her ex-boyfriend, who had arrived at the home with a friend, Charles Miller. As the argument between the former couple escalated, Angelo stepped in, attempting to "deescalate the situation and calm everybody down," in the words of the Assistant State's Attorney.
While Angelo tried to mediate, Miller, who was seated in the passenger side of his friend's car, told Angelo to mind his own business. The two men began to argue. When Miller tried to get out of the vehicle, Angelo reportedly pushed the car door shut, preventing him from exiting. At that point, Miller pulled out a handgun and fired a single shot, striking Angelo in the face. Immediately after the shooting, Miller's friend got back into the driver's seat, and the two men sped away from the scene.
First responders found Angelo gravely wounded. He was rushed to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. For a week, he fought for his life, but the damage from the gunshot wound was too severe. On June 16, 2016, at 1:09 p.m., Angelo Davis died from his injuries. He had lived on the 6300 block of South Elizabeth Street, not far from where his life was tragically cut short.
The Chicago Police Department investigated the homicide. Based on witness identification, authorities issued an investigative alert for Charles Miller. After an initial interview in which he provided a false alibi and was released, police located and arrested him on January 4, 2017. Miller, then 28, was charged with first-degree murder. At his bond hearing, a Cook County judge denied him bail, and the case proceeded to trial.
Following a bench trial, Charles Miller was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Angelo Davis. The court heard testimony from multiple eyewitnesses about the events that transpired. In September 2021, an appellate court affirmed the conviction and Miller's sentence of 65 years in prison. The court case, filed under number 17 CR 1956 in Cook County, concluded the legal chapter of the case, bringing a measure of justice for the senseless killing. As of September 2021, Charles Miller continues to serve his sentence. The case is considered solved and closed by arrest and conviction.
