Over Eighty Shell Casings Recovered Following Fatal Daylight Ambush of Garfield Park Resident in West Pullman

Chicago police recovered nearly 90 shell casings from a West Pullman crime scene where 26-year-old Jajauan Thigpen was fatally shot on Monday.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 31, 2026, 9:33 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Sun-Times Wire

Daylight Execution in the West Pullman Neighborhood

A violent confrontation on the Far South Side left a West Side resident dead and a neighborhood street littered with evidence of a massive ballistic discharge. At approximately 11:55 a.m. on Monday, Jajauan Thigpen was standing in the 800 block of West 122nd Street when he was targeted by multiple shooters. The midday quiet was shattered by a sustained barrage of gunfire that struck the 26 year old victim several times across his body. Despite the timing of the attack in a residential area, the perpetrators managed to deliver a concentrated amount of fire before fleeing the scene.

Unprecedented Volume of Ballistic Evidence Recovered

The sheer scale of the violence was documented by Chicago police technicians who processed the crime scene for several hours. Investigators recovered roughly 86 shell casings concentrated around the area where the victim fell, indicating an overwhelming use of force during the ambush. This high volume of physical evidence suggests the involvement of multiple high capacity firearms or a sustained duration of fire rarely seen in individual targetings. The presence of so many casings highlights the aggressive nature of the assault and the significant threat posed to any bystanders in the vicinity during the lunch hour.

Rapid Medical Pronouncement and Scene Documentation

First responders arrived on West 122nd Street shortly after the shots were reported to find Thigpen unresponsive on the pavement. Despite the arrival of emergency medical personnel, the severity of the wounds proved fatal almost immediately. Official records from the Cook County medical examiner’s office confirm that the victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:04 p.m., less than ten minutes after the initial shooting. The area remained cordoned off for the remainder of the afternoon as forensic teams marked each of the nearly 90 points of evidence scattered across the roadway.