Man facing murder charges in pair of shootings, miles apart, in under an hour last fall

A 26-year-old Chicago man is facing murder charges in a pair of shootings that happened about 5 miles apart in less than an hour last fall.

Malik Bloxton was ordered held without bail during a hearing Wednesday before Judge Barbara Dawkins at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

Bloxton first shot 43-year-old Ellis Hamilton to death as Hamilton sat in his car early Oct. 17 in the 1500 block of East 62nd Street, according to Cook County prosecutors.

Shortly afterward, Bloxton allegedly shot Bryant King Johnson, 53, as Johnson sat in his car in the 6700 block of South Western Avenue.

Prosecutors did not provide a motive for either shooting.

Hamilton was pronounced dead at the scene, and Johnson was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he died a short time later.

Chicago police

Investigators linked the two killings through a palm print, cellphone data and surveillance cameras, prosecutors said.

Detectives discovered the palm print on a panel of Hamilton’s car between the driver’s and rear passenger windows that they matched to Bloxton, prosecutors said.

Bloxton allegedly returned to his home in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood afterward, and a surveillance camera recorded him leaving a short time later with an unknown suspect as they walked toward the area of 67th Street and Western Avenue, prosecutors said.

There, the pair was seen opening fire on Johnson from opposite sides of the older man’s car as he was seated inside, said prosecutors. Johnson tried to drive away but crashed a short distance away, and the car caught fire, they said.

Surveillance cameras were used to follow the shooters when they left the area and returned to Bloxton’s home, including when Bloxton allegedly climbed over a fence and briefly got stuck. Ten days later, Bloxton sought treatment at a hospital for an injury that likely occurred as he struggled to scale the fence, prosecutors said.

Cellphone data showed Bloxton’s phone pinged in the area of both shootings about the times they occurred, prosecutors said.

Shell casings from both shootings were determined to have been fired by the same gun and were the same type of ammunition found during a search of Bloxton’s home, prosecutors said. A gun was also found at the home, but prosecutors did not say whether the gun fired the casings found at the scene.

Bloxton has previous convictions for resisting arrest and a weapons charge as a juvenile, prosecutors said.

He was expected back in court March 20.