A legally armed Chicago sanitation worker who fatally shot one armed robber and wounded another during a predawn confrontation outside a West Side charter school last year has seen the surviving attacker sentenced to eight years in prison.
Aaron White, 22, of Hammond, Indiana, pleaded guilty Monday to attempted armed robbery with a firearm. Cook County Judge Domenica Stephenson imposed the eight-year prison term. White was shot in the neck during the January 31, 2025, incident and survived.
The 28-year-old garbage collector, a concealed-carry license holder, was working alone near the back of his truck in an alley next to DRW College Prep at 931 South Homan Avenue around 5:18 a.m. when White and 42-year-old Kenneth Elliott approached him. Elliott confronted the worker first. White then came forward with a gun drawn.
Enhanced surveillance video obtained by local reporters shows the sanitation worker pushing White’s gun away with his forearm while grappling with Elliott. When White extended the weapon again, the worker fired at least three shots, striking White and dropping him. Elliott continued fighting and wrapped his arms around the worker. The collector fired additional rounds until Elliott collapsed. The video ends with the worker standing up and walking away, leaving both men on the pavement.
Elliott was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head. He had a prior conviction for a 2008 armed robbery that occurred just four blocks south of the shooting site. White was found conscious nearby, told officers he was lying on a gun, and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The sanitation worker was unharmed and later evaluated at a hospital. Police recovered two handguns and seven shell casings.
The incident occurred steps from the school entrance before classes began. No students or staff were present at the time. The garbage collector was not charged.
The case drew attention as an example of a licensed civilian using a firearm in self-defense against armed attackers during a robbery attempt in a high-crime area of Chicago. White’s sentence closes the criminal case against the surviving robber more than 19 months after the shooting.
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