Prosecutors say guns, DNA and phone data link him to the robbery and shooting.
CHICAGO, IL — A suspect accused of killing a father and son outside their Little Village jewelry store was captured in St. Louis and returned to Chicago to face murder and armed robbery charges, authorities said after a shooting that was recorded on surveillance video last fall.
Prosecutors say the case hinges on a fast moving robbery that spilled from the store onto West 26th Street, followed by an exchange of gunfire and a getaway in a stolen luxury car that was later found burned. The arrest ends months of public pleas for answers from relatives and neighbors who described the victims as longtime small business owners in the neighborhood’s busy commercial corridor. The suspect, Muhammad Thomas, has been held in custody while the court process continues, and a key hearing has been affected by medical issues raised by prosecutors.
Investigators say the violence unfolded just before 6 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2025, outside a family run jewelry shop in the 3800 block of West 26th Street. Surveillance video shows a masked man enter the store and then rush back out with stolen items as the owners ran after him, according to prosecutors and police statements. The chase quickly turned into gunfire. Luis Angel Alamo, 25, and his father, Faustino Alamo Dominguez, 63, were shot multiple times and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, authorities said. A nephew, Agustin Alamo, later said the pair were “pillars of the community” and that the family had prayed for justice after the killings.
Thomas, 35, was arrested Tuesday at a St. Louis hotel after investigators tracked him there, officials said. He was extradited back to Chicago and charged with two counts of first degree murder and multiple other felony counts tied to the robbery and the shooting. In court filings summarized by prosecutors, the state alleges Thomas had two juvenile accomplices waiting in a stolen white Maserati while he went inside the store. Prosecutors said he was buzzed in, used a cellphone to prop open the door, and began breaking into display cases before running. As the victims pursued him outside, prosecutors said Thomas shot Luis Angel Alamo and that a juvenile got out of the car and fired shots that struck Alamo Dominguez. More than 20 shots can be heard on the surveillance recording, according to investigators.
Authorities say physical evidence helped solidify the case after the shooting. Prosecutors said St. Louis police found Thomas with two guns at the time of his arrest, and that shell casings from those guns matched casings recovered at the Little Village scene. Prosecutors also said DNA evidence and cellphone data place Thomas at the jewelry store during the robbery. Investigators say the getaway Maserati was later found torched, but they were able to link the vehicle back to Thomas through evidence recovered from the car and the store. A juvenile later arrested in an unrelated case provided information that helped identify Thomas as a shooter, prosecutors said. Court information about the juveniles was not immediately available in the public record cited by local reporting.
The Little Village killings drew heavy attention because the shooting happened in public, in front of a storefront on a major neighborhood street lined with small businesses. The video circulated widely, and community members said it captured a split second moment when the father and son tried to protect the shop they ran together. In the months after the attack, investigators released details and sought tips as relatives mourned and tried to keep the store’s memory alive. The victims were described by loved ones as hardworking and well known along the corridor. The scene shown in the video is stark: the two men ended up lying side by side near the curb as traffic continued to pass, according to a description of the recording cited in court accounts.
In addition to the murder case, prosecutors said Thomas faces allegations in other incidents and that his criminal history stretches back years. Authorities said he is charged in connection with a July 28, 2023, shooting in the West Loop that seriously injured a 26 year old man. He also faces a charge tied to a July 16, 2024, armed robbery in Little Village, prosecutors said. Court records reviewed by local outlets describe other prior convictions, including violent offenses, though those cases are separate from the Little Village double homicide. Prosecutors have argued that the combination of the video, forensic evidence and gun evidence supports keeping Thomas detained as the case moves forward.
The court process has included delays tied to Thomas’ health, according to prosecutors. A scheduled detention hearing in Cook County was postponed after prosecutors said Thomas was hospitalized with medical issues and narcotics withdrawal. Cook County Judge James Vincent Murphy set a new court date for a hearing on March 3, according to court reporting. Prosecutors have also pointed to outstanding warrants at the time he was located by law enforcement in Missouri. Thomas has pleaded not guilty in related proceedings reported by local outlets, and defense positions in the murder case are expected to be argued as evidence is exchanged and pretrial motions begin.
Outside court, the victims’ relatives and neighbors have continued to talk about the loss and what the store meant to the area. Agustin Alamo said the arrest brought a sense of relief and thanked community members who supported the family in the months after the shooting. Investigators have not publicly detailed how long Thomas stayed in Missouri or the steps used to locate him beyond confirming assistance by the U.S. Marshals task force. Authorities have also not publicly described any motive beyond the alleged robbery. Questions remain about the roles of the juveniles, including whether they will be charged in connection with the deaths and what evidence will be presented about who fired which shots.
Thomas remains in custody as the case proceeds, with the next major court date set for March 3. Prosecutors are expected to continue outlining evidence from surveillance video, ballistic testing and forensic work as the judge considers detention and schedules future hearings.
Author note: Last updated March 2, 2026.