Jerry Lewis had been working to revitalize the Near West Side around the United Center.But on Tuesday afternoon, as Lewis walked outside his office just blocks from the arena, he was gunned down in an apparent ambush attack, according to officials and his family.Lewis was closely involved in the 190 1 Project, a $7 billion development led by the United Center’s owners — the Wirtz and Reinsdorf families. The project aims to turn 55 acres surrounding the stadium into a full-fledged entertainment district.Lewis was the executive director of the 1901 Community Implementation Committee, an associated nonprofit that seeks to bring community members into the fold and give them the skills needed to eventually become subcontractors on the project.“He believed in developing others for the best, showing people a different way,” said Zandra, Lewis’ wife of 40 years.Lewis, 67, of Matteson, was shot in the head around 12:50 p.m. Tuesday outside of the nonprofit’s office at 2127 W. Madison St., according to Chicago police. He was rushed to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead.After the shooting, police officers detained two armed men as they walked away from the building’s front entrance, according to a police report. Both men have felony records and have spent time in prison.Lewis’ son, Zach, said his dad was checking the mail when he was attacked.“My father was a great man, and his game plan was that he wanted change,” Zach Lewis told the Sun-Times. Chicago police officials investigate a fatal shooting in the 2100 block of West Madison Street on the Near West Side on Tuesday.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Uplifting the communityLewis was raised on Chicago’s West Side and devoted his life to improving those neighborhoods. “When he did make it, he chose to give back to all those communities that he grew up in, the entire West Side” his son said.Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett (27th) said Lewis had “committed his life to helping people, young and old, find their place in our society.""Jerry never cared about someone’s past and extended grace to those looking to improve their lives,” Burnett said in a statement. “He was as excited about the future of the West Side as anyone.”Lewis was the president of JLL Construction Services, which has worked on major construction projects in the city. He had recently been scheduled to speak about the vision for the 1901 Project during an event at the University Club of Chicago.The Wirtz and Reinsdorf families have touted the project as the largest private investment on the West Side. Still, the arena owners are pursuing public funding for a new Pink Line station near the United Center. The proposal hasn't advanced yet.Mayor Brandon Johnson also recently announced a nearly $55 million property tax break for the project, a benefit the arena’s owners say is an essential piece to get their project underway.Lewis oversaw “community-driven initiatives and long-term development strategies” at the nonprofit affiliated with the project, according to an online biography. He also led workforce development efforts and helped “cultivate emerging talent” at the 1901 Community Implementation Committee.That included some celebrity participants, like Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose, who has been taking contracting and development courses through the committee.But Lewis was mostly focused on bringing in people from the neighborhood. Many had criminal records or prior gang affiliations but wanted to turn their lives around, according to Shun Ravago, Lewis’ close friend and adviser.“He wanted everybody to have an opportunity to elevate themselves,” Ravago said. “One of the things he was afraid of is that any of these big projects, or any kind of gentrification project in the city, the community gets left out.” A child walks by as Chicago police officials investigate a fatal shooting in the 2100 block of West Madison Street on the Near West Side on Tuesday.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Suspects in custodyThe two men arrested in Lewis’ killing, ages 28 and 31, both have criminal records. The Sun-Times isn’t naming them because they haven’t been charged.The older man has been arrested repeatedly and has twice been convicted in drug cases, according to Cook County court records. He was most recently sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2018 when he pleaded guilty to an armed carjacking.The 28-year-old was sent to prison for 54 months in 2017 after he was convicted of aggravated discharge of a firearm, court records show. He got three more years in prison in 2023 for a gun conviction.In that case, he was driving in the 600 block of South Independence Boulevard on July 3, 2023, when police stopped him and found a Glock and a “switch” device that turns handguns into automatic weapons, according to an arrest report.Contributing: Kade Heather, Mohammad Samra ...read more read less