On the evening of August 28, 2023, Travon Mackie, a 30-year-old man from Chicago, was driving his Toyota Camry on the Bishop Ford Freeway in Dolton, Illinois. At approximately 7:27 p.m., Illinois State Police troopers responded to what was reported as a multi-vehicle crash on northbound I-94 near Dolton Road. At the scene, they found Mackie’s Camry and an Audi A4 crashed against the concrete median. Mackie was inside his car, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Paramedics transported Mackie to an area hospital for treatment of his life-threatening injuries. Investigators determined that the incident was not a simple crash. According to prosecutors, multiple shots had been fired from the Audi into Mackie’s Camry as the two cars were driving side-by-side, causing both vehicles to crash. The Audi was found abandoned at the scene. Investigators found that Mackie was unarmed and did not have a weapon in his car.
Two days after the shooting, Travon Mackie died from his injuries at the hospital.
The Illinois State Police led the investigation into Mackie’s death. After several months, they identified Calvin Woods, a resident of Matteson, as an occupant of the Audi and a suspect in the killing. With assistance from the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, state police arrested Woods on February 22, 2024. At the time of the shooting, Woods was reportedly a felon who was on electronic monitoring. He was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
In April 2026, Calvin Woods, then 34, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder. Court records indicated that Woods had claimed he believed the shooting was justified, but the court considered this an unreasonable belief. Following his guilty plea, Cook County Judge Angela Petrone sentenced Woods to 20 years in prison. As of April 2026, the case is considered closed.
