Metro-east woman found her son shot to death on his porch. Now she wants answers

Lillie Davis had just dropped her granddaughter off at school and was hoping to stop by her oldest son’s house for a visit while she was in Washington Park.

She called ahead but got no answer.

As she drove past his house on that chilly morning, Davis saw her son - Alphonso Davis - laying on his porch. She knew something had to be terribly wrong because he wasn’t wearing a coat and it was 30 degrees outside.

She went back to Alphonso’s house on North 49th Street and made the worst discovery any mother could make. Police say he had been shot to death.

“I am the one that found him,” his mother said as she cried and sobbed. “It really hurts.”

Her body went numb and momentarily, she couldn’t think. Somehow, she was able to gather herself and call 911.

Not long after the March 2 shooting, she recounted that day and talked about her son in interviews with a BND reporter.

She said she would miss her son so much.

“I can’t find my words,” she said, pausing. “It is very devastating. I never expected to be dealing with anything like this. There is no way to describe the pain.”

Alphonso Davis, 39, was the father of seven children. “The youngest child is three, the next is six,” his mother said. They are all taking his death hard.

Davis’ family has established a Gofundme account seeking contributions to help defray funeral costs and for his children.

No one has been charged in the slaying.

Why would anyone kill Alphonso Davis?

Lillie Davis wonders who would do something so senseless to someone so kind. And why? She said she doesn’t know of anyone who would hurt her son.

“We need answers,” she said.

She said she has not spoken to police since the incident. Police will only tell the BND they are investigating the homicide.

Alphonso Davis was a beloved member of the village’s street department. His death has stunned the community.

For Lillie Davis, it means no more daily talks between a mother and her oldest son.

“We were very close. We talked everyday. I am going to miss that a whole lot,”Davis said.

He had many friends.

“He was friends with everybody,” Lillie Davis said. “He went out of his way to make a person smile. If a person was sad, he would throw out a joke just to make a person smile or laugh. He always wanted to see a smile on someone’s face.”

Alphonso was a typical youngster growing up.

“He loved to run around and play. He loved sports and anything outdoors. He loved playing football with his friends on 49th street where he was raised up,” his mother said, recalling fondly those good days.

“I am praying to God for the strength to continue my life’s journey without my son. I love him so much.” she said.

‘OG, I love you’

The last time she had spoken to her son, he told her that he loved her six or seven times. “He told me OG (old girl) I love you. I told him I love you, too, Alphonso,” she said.

She cherishes that moment and is so happy that they were able to share their words of love for each other.

Those memories and others, plus her faith, give her strength when she is feeling weak.

“He was always there for me. Anything I needed he tried to get it for his OG. He was a great son and a great father too. He loved his children. They loved him. There was nothing he would not do for them,” she said.

Now, because of someone’s senseless, unexplainable behavior, the children have to continue life without their father, she said.

She said neither she nor the rest of the family can have peace without justice. She wants the police to capture the person who murdered her son and bring them to justice.

She knows no amount of jail time will bring her son back.

“He’s gone and he should still be living his life. I know he won’t come back. But, the person who took his life has to be punished,” Davis said.

She prays for the end of senseless gun violence.

“Put the guns down. Do something good with your life,’ she said. “Show the children how they should live.”

Davis is hopeful that someone will step up and help police catch the person who is responsible for Alphonso’s death. “Put yourself in my shoes. I am broken. It’s very hard for me.

“... My son would have given anything he had to help anyone. How did this happen to him? It makes no sense,” Davis said tearfully.

She said she prays that all families “are hugging their loved ones and saying the words I love you to them.

“You never know if it will be the last time you see them or get the chance to love on them,” she said.

This story was originally published March 11, 2023 at 7:00 AM.