A Beach Park man is the second man arrested in connection with the murder of a 24-year-old man who was fatally shot during a gun purchase meetup in Beach Park.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 12:10 p.m. on February 9 to the 39300 block of Melbourne Court in Beach Park for a report of shots fired.
A 911 caller reported they heard several shots fired in the area, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The caller also reported seeing two African American men, ages 20-25, running from the scene.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and located several spent shell casings on the roadway along with shattered glass from a car, Covelli said.
Deputies learned a vehicle was driven to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan with a gunshot victim that was dropped off at the emergency room.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek identified the victim as Tavontee Fox, 24, of Waukegan.
Fox was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. An autopsy showed he suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Covelli said Fox was a passenger in the car, which was parked on Melbourne Court, when the shooting occurred.
Detectives seized the car and were processing it for evidence.
A home was also struck by gunfire in addition to the car, Covelli said. Nobody inside the home was injured.
Covelli said in an update that the investigation showed that Fox and Cyncere L. Tillman, 24, of Waukegan, arranged to meet.
The meeting took place near Tillman’s friend’s house on Melbourne Court. The friend was identified as 25-year-old Amil Little.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Vukovich said the meetup was for a gun purchase.
Fox was attempting to purchase a .38 revolver and had been texting Tillman to arrange the meetup, Vukovich said.
Covelli said an argument ensued during the interaction and Tillman produced a firearm, firing multiple rounds at Fox and the driver of the car.
Vukovich said the shooting occurred after one of the two suspects asked Fox to see the money that he brought for the transaction.
The driver of the car who was with Fox told investigators that neither he nor Fox were armed and they did not return fire at the shooter.
Tillman was identified as the gunman through evidence and thorough investigative work, Covelli said, adding that Fox and Tillman were “associates.”
A witness saw Little and Tillman fleeing the scene on foot to a home on Wakefield Drive where they opened the garage enough for them to crawl through and shut it, Vukovich said.
Vukovich said Tillman was arrested on February 18 by detectives when he arrived at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan for a court hearing in a pending case.
Tillman was out on a $150,000 bond in an August 2023 case where he was charged with manufacturing or delivery of heroin and cocaine in Waukegan.
Also at the time of the murder, Tillman was on parole for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a 2020 case.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the fatal shooting investigation and approved two counts of first-degree murder against Tillman.
Vukovich said that investigators found live 9mm rounds under the mattress in Little’s bedroom during a search warrant.
Little was charged on February 18 with felon in possession of a weapon or ammunition, a Class 3 felony, and an arrest warrant was issued.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sergeant Matthew Harmon said Thursday that detectives learned Little was at a residence in the 2100 block of Gilead Avenue in Zion on Monday.
Little attempted to flee on foot as they tried to take him into custody.
A brief chase resulted in detectives successfully apprehending Little without further incident, Harmon said.
The Racine Police Department, Zion Police Department and the Chicago Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) provided assistance in apprehending Little.
Little was additionally charged with criminal damage to property and resisting arrest. He was transported to the Lake County Jail and the state’s attorney’s office filed a petition to detain him pending trial.
Lake County Judge Paul Novak denied the petition and released Little from custody during a detention hearing on Thursday afternoon.
Tillman remains held in the Lake County Jail after Lake County Judge James Simonian granted a petition to detain him pending trial.