Man charged after 2 fatally shot in Chinatown robbery attempt held without bond

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The man charged in the murders of two men who were targeted during a robbery attempt in Chinatown was ordered to be held without bond in court Tuesday.

Police said 20-year-old Alvin Thomas was taken into custody about 15 minutes after the shooting took place early Sunday morning in the 2000-block of South Wells Street inside an apartment building parking lot.

Thomas tried to rob two men, Huayi Bian, 36, and Weizhing Xiong, 38, and a 44-year-old woman, police said. The woman complied, but the two men resisted, at which point police said Thomas shot and killed the two men. The woman was unharmed.

"She looked to the right and no longer saw her husband in the passenger seat of the vehicle," said Assistant State's Attorney James Murphy.

Police said officers were able to monitor cameras in the area to track Thomas down.

"Chicago Police Officers followed the bloody footprints left by defendant," Murphy. said.

Police said he ran about four or five blocks and police said shell casings from the scene matched the gun Thomas has on him.

Thomas has been charged with two counts of murder and is scheduled to appear in bond court Tuesday.

Police said Thomas has a criminal history, and was on probation for a 2018 robbery and battery in Boystown.

"My heart is hurting. I cant eat, I cant think," said Thomas' mother, Sherri Keller.

The murders are sending shockwaves throughout the Chinatown neighborhood. Monday night a community meeting was held as residents spoke out about crime in the area.

"People in Chinatown coming together, we want to find a solution," said chef Tony Hu. "We want to stop violence. We can't see this happening anymore."

"All we do is work and go home," said Terry Wilson, who is a friend of the victims. "When we go home and someone murders us its not right. We've all been impacted. We've all cried and we're all angry."

"It's upsetting. I heard about this. My wife was right. It's only a matter of time before somebody got killed. Unfortunately, this had to happen," said Chinatown resident Andrew Toy.

Meanwhile, a memorial in honor of the victims is growing larger.

Bian was a rideshare driver. His SUV is still parked outside the apartment complex where someone laid a bouquet of flowers on his windshield.

"We want to make sure the resident are protected, the residents know that the public safety is the number one priority," said Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez.

The charges came just hours after a community meeting in Chinatown which focused on safety in the neighborhood.