Terion Steward

Terion D. Steward, a 21-year-old Black man known to friends and family as "Tee Dee," was a 2011 graduate of Joliet Township High School. Born on May 3, 1993, to Lorene Thomas and Willie Steward, he considered Fred Stepney, his mother's partner, his father since birth. He was part of a large extended family and was survived by his parents, grandmother, two brothers, and a sister. His life was cut short in a sudden act of violence on a Sunday night in his hometown of Joliet, Illinois.

On the evening of December 14, 2014, Terion was walking with his 15-year-old brother near the intersection of McDonough and Joliet streets. A group of as many as eight people had gathered nearby. As the brothers walked past, a silver or dark-colored Mercedes approached, and someone in the rear passenger seat opened fire. Terion was struck in the head and thigh. His younger brother was hit in the foot but survived his injuries. Terion was fatally wounded in the ambush and died at the scene. The shooting was one of five incidents of gun violence in Joliet in the weeks following Thanksgiving that year.

The Joliet Police Department immediately began an investigation, which they soon described as a "gang-related confrontation." Deputy Chief Al Roechner stated that detectives were informed the vehicle used in the drive-by shooting was a silver Mercedes. Three days later, on Wednesday, police located the car, which was registered to the mother of 21-year-old Davia A. Mayes. Mayes was brought in for questioning and, based on his statements and information from other witnesses, police identified a second suspect.

The following day, police arrested 16-year-old Demond Fuqua, a sophomore at Joliet Central High School, on campus. Both Mayes and Fuqua were charged with two counts of murder and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm. Fuqua, despite his age, was charged as an adult. Bond for both was set at $1 million. Investigators learned that Mayes was the driver of the Mercedes, and Fuqua was the gunman who fired the shots from the back seat. According to courtroom testimony, the two had decided to drive around looking to shoot a rival gang member. Two other men were in the car at the time but were not charged in connection with the murder.

In May 2017, Davia Mayes, then 23, accepted a plea deal. In exchange for his testimony against Fuqua, his first-degree murder charge was reduced to aggravated battery with a firearm. In December 2017, Mayes was sentenced by Judge David Carlson to 18 years in prison. He received credit for the 1,101 days he had already served in the Will County jail while awaiting trial.

In August 2019, Demond Fuqua, then 21, also reached a plea agreement. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced by Judge Carlson to 20 years in prison. A second murder count was dropped as part of the plea deal. At his sentencing, Fuqua received credit for the 1,700 days he had been in custody since his arrest in 2014. The case was officially closed with the convictions and sentencings of both individuals responsible for Terion Steward's death. A funeral service for Terion was held on December 22, 2014, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, followed by his burial at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Joliet.