A Chicago sanitation worker armed with a concealed carry license shot two men who tried to rob him before dawn outside a Homan Square charter school, killing one and wounding the other. More than a year and a half later, the surviving robber has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
The confrontation happened at 5:18 a.m. on January 31, 2025, in an alley next to DRW College Prep at 931 South Homan Avenue, according to CWB Chicago. The sanitation worker was working alone near the back of his garbage truck when Aaron White and Kenneth Elliott approached him. Elliott confronted the worker first, and White then approached with a gun drawn, according to the outlet's reporting.
Surveillance video obtained by CWB Chicago captured the moment White pointed his weapon at the worker, who pushed the gun away with his forearm while grappling with Elliott. The worker then drew his own concealed firearm and fired at least three shots at White before turning his gun on Elliott and firing additional rounds as Elliott wrapped his arms around him, the same outlet reported. Elliott collapsed during the struggle, and the worker rose to his feet and left the alley after White also fell to the ground.
Officers Found One Suspect Bleeding Near the School
Responding Chicago police officers found White lying near the school with a gunshot wound to his neck, per the CWB Chicago account. According to the arrest report cited by the outlet, White told officers he was lying on a gun, and an officer secured the weapon after rolling him over. White, of Hammond, Indiana, was struck by gunfire during the exchange and remained hospitalized before prosecutors filed attempted armed robbery charges and planned to seek his pretrial detention after his release, as detailed by CWB Chicago's earlier reporting.
Medical outcomes for both men diverged sharply after the shootout. White was transported to a local hospital with the neck wound, while the sanitation worker was evaluated at St. Anthony Hospital in good condition after experiencing chest pain, according to CBS Chicago. Elliott suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head during the physical struggle and was pronounced dead at the scene, the station reported. Chicago Police Department Area Four detectives recovered two handguns from the scene in the 900 block of South Homan Avenue following the shootout, per the same station's account.
Guilty Plea Leads to Eight-Year Prison Term
Court records show White pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery with a firearm, and Judge Domenica Stephenson sentenced him to eight years in prison, according to the CWB Chicago report that first detailed the sentencing. The case was also covered in reporting.
Armed robbery with a firearm is described as a Class X felony in Illinois, with a possible sentencing range of six to 60 years, according to a legal explainer from Dvorak Law Offices. The source does not specifically establish the sentencing range for White's attempted offense. The sanitation worker was described as the victim. The text of Illinois Criminal Code section 720 ILCS 5/7-1 appears in the legal materials.
Concealed Carry Near School Grounds Raises Legal Questions
The location of the shooting, in an alley next to DRW College Prep, sits near legally sensitive ground for concealed carry holders. Under Section 65 of the Illinois Firearm Concealed Carry Act, 430 ILCS 66/65, carrying a concealed firearm is prohibited inside buildings, on real property, and within parking areas controlled by public or private elementary or secondary schools, according to the Illinois General Assembly. DRW College Prep operates as a campus within the Noble Network of Charter Schools, according to Noble Schools.
The case also lands amid a broader statewide surge in concealed carry interest. Illinois State Police data showed more than 128,000 people applied for a concealed carry license in 2024, a 10-year high and an increase of nearly 19,000 applications compared to 2023, CBS Chicago reported. The January 2025 shooting outside DRW College Prep occurred during the period covered by those statistics, though the sanitation worker was, for a night, both a victim and the only person who walked away unhurt from the alley fight.
