Lucullus Lee Jr., 65, of Chatham, was struck in the head during an attack in the 4600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in Bronzeville, in the Grand Boulevard community on Chicago's South Side, about 11:40 p.m. on Saturday, February 19, 2022. He died eight days later, on Sunday, February 27, 2022. The Chicago Police Department investigated.
Chicago police said Lee was discovered unresponsive on Cottage Grove after being battered by an unknown male. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition and never recovered. The Cook County medical examiner's office ruled his death a homicide. Police did not say how many times he was struck, whether a weapon was used, or whether anything was taken from him.
The only description of the attacker that police released was that he was male. No arrest was reported.
On March 1, 2022, the Sun-Times reported that a second man, Flamond Williams, 41, had been shot to death during an argument in the same block of Cottage Grove the day before, about two weeks after Lee was attacked, and that police had reported no arrests in either killing. No reward tied to Lee's case could be found.
Leak and Sons, a funeral home on South Cottage Grove Avenue, posted an obituary page for Lucullus Lee Jr. with a wake and funeral on March 13, 2022. Beyond that listing and the fact that he lived in Chatham, few details about his life, work or family have been made public. His distinctive name makes him easy to tell apart from other people in public records.
The 4600 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue runs through Bronzeville, one of the city's most historic Black neighborhoods, near the border with Kenwood and a short distance from the lakefront. The stretch has apartment buildings, storefronts and bus stops along a major South Side route, and people waiting for buses or leaving businesses late on a Saturday night may have seen the attack or the man who left him on the ground.
Chicago recorded about 720 homicides in 2022, down from about 800 in 2021, the deadliest year in the city in a quarter century. Chicago police reported clearing roughly half of the city's homicides in the years from 2019 through 2023, though those figures count cases closed without charges, so the share of killings that led to a criminal case was lower.
His age stands out. At 65, Lee was far older than most homicide victims in the city, and he was miles from his home in Chatham when he was attacked.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Lucullus Lee Jr. could be found in news archives or public records. More than 4 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on South Cottage Grove Avenue near 46th Street late on February 19, 2022, or who knows why Lucullus Lee Jr. was there that night, may be able to help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a car seen leaving the area or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Chicago Police Department's anonymous tip line at (833) 408-0069 or submit a tip online at CPDTIP.com, or contact Cook County Crime Stoppers at (800) 535-STOP (7867).
