Jerry Lewis, 67, was a mentor who was committed to helping fellow West Siders, many of whom didn’t have the same opportunities as he did, turn their lives around, his family said a day after he was gunned down outside a condo building near the United Center.

“He believed in developing others for the best, showing people a different way,” his wife of 40 years, Zandra Lewis, told the Sun-Times.

“My father was a great man and his game plan was that he wanted change,” his son, Zach Lewis, added.

Zach Lewis, 35, committed to keeping his father’s legacy alive, said his father’s program was affiliated with the massive development project, the 1901 Project and was an anti-gun advocate.

“I will just keep it going,” Zach Lewis said of continuing where his father left off.

Lewis, of Matteson, was walking to one of his two business offices when the shooting erupted, his wife said.

“He trained people to learn how to open their own businesses…financing, hiring and all of that,” his wife said.

Chicago police officers who were already in the area saw two armed assailants on foot open fire on the man, identified by according to Ald. Walter Burnett, of the 27th Ward, as Jerry Lewis. It happened about 12:50 p.m. at 2127 W. Madison St.

Lewis was hit in the head and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Jerry Lewis grew up on the city’s West Side and was devoted to helping — many of whom were his peers who had been incarcerated or in gangs turn their lives around by giving them jobs and opportunities, his family said.

“When he did make it he chose to give back to all those communities that he grew up in: the entire West Side” Zach said.

Zandra and Jerry, who met at a dinner party after Zandra asked one of her cousins who was good friends with one of his friends for an introduction, have eight grandchildren,

“He was a very good husband and father and grandfather,” said Zandra Lewis. “He took good care of his family and he loved his family. He wanted the best for all of us.”

Two men, 28 and 31, were arrested Tuesday but charges were not announced by police.

In a statement, Burnett, whose office is near to where the killing happened, offered his condolences and prayers.

“Jerry committed his life to helping people, young and old, find their place in our society,” Burnett said in the statement. “Teaching people how to be leaders, how to be independent, and most importantly, how to be a good human.”

“Jerry never cared about someone’s past and extended grace to those looking to improve their lives. He was as excited about the future of the west side as anyone,” Burnett said in the statement.

“May God inspire more leaders to continue in Jerry’s footsteps as a steward of our community, a mentor to those in need, and a friend to all,” Burnett said in the statement.

A woman who lives nearby said she heard shouting and “four or five gunshots” simultaneously. Police were already on scene by the time she got to her window, she said.

“It happened really quickly,” said the woman, 39, who asked not to be named out of fear for her safety.

A video she shared with the Sun-Times shows numerous officers arriving on scene and bystanders gathering. Another video shows paramedics performing medical procedures on the victim as they carried him on a gurney to an ambulance.

A firearm was seen lying on the sidewalk after the shooting.

Chicago Police Department officials investigate a homicide in the 2100 block of West Madison Street on the Near West Side, Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

The woman was still processing what had happened hours later. She said she has “never really felt unsafe” in the neighborhood.

“It’s terrible, right? It happens in the middle of the day,” the woman said. “It’s really sad. … No matter what, violence is not the answer, shooting somebody is not the answer, but it does kind of seem like it’s telling of the times that people just go straight to violence.”

Madison Street, between Leavitt Street and Warren Boulevard, was blocked off during the investigation and reopened shortly before 4 p.m.

Area 3 detectives are investigating.

Chicago Police Department officials investigate a homicide in the 2100 block of West Madison Street on the Near West Side on Tuesday.

A child walks by as Chicago Police Department officials investigate a homicide in the 2100 block of West Madison Street on the Near West Side on Tuesday.