Cicero man charged with murder in shooting of Bridgeport bystander

Al Besst was a well-liked figure in the Bridgeport community and was active at First Trinity Lutheran Church. | Provided by Andrew Mack

A Cicero resident has been charged with killing a 68-year-old Bridgeport man who was struck by a stray bullet last month while driving in the South Side neighborhood.

Gerardo Campos, 26, faces a count of first-degree murder in the Feb. 16 shooting, Chicago police announced Saturday.

Campos was apparently aiming for someone else about 6 p.m. that day when a bullet he fired went through Alva Besst’s rear car window and struck the older man in the head as he was driving, police said.

Besst crashed into a snow pile near Halsted and 31st streets, about a block from CPD’s Deering District station, police said.

Besst was rushed to Stroger Hospital, but later died.

Gerardo Campos

Campos was arrested about 5:05 p.m. Thursday in the 800 block of West 31st Street following an investigation, police said.

He was expected to appear in court for a bond hearing Sunday.

Besst was a member of First Trinity Lutheran Church and loved to talk about the history of his neighborhood, a friend at his church told the Sun-Times.

“He loved to talk and he loved people, though it took a while to warm up to him,” Andrew Mack said. “I was blessed to know him, to listen to his stories. He loved to tell stories.”