Gruesome video surfaces on social media following double homicide in 2017 at Washington Park gas station

A graphic video has surfaced on social media showing four men cringing and bleeding out in a cramped gas station vestibule the moment it’s sprayed with gunfire in a double homicide in the Washington Park neighborhood in March 2017.

Detectives have the surveillance footage and continue to investigate the shooting, Chicago police Officer Michelle Tannehill confirmed Saturday. Police did not release the video to the public and were aware it had been making the rounds on social media, she said.

No arrests have been made.

Killed in the attack were Lavelle Cox and Jawon Carter, both 24. Two other men were wounded, including a 64-year-old who does various jobs at the gas station.

The disturbing, minute-long video begins inside the tiny vestibule of the GoLo gas station, 123 E. 51st St., about 2 a.m. on March 10, 2017.

Cox, Carter and a 25-year-old man shuffle around nervously and place an item on the counter to buy it.

The 64-year-old, wearing a baseball cap, has his hands in his jacket’s front pockets and his back to a glass door with a sign reading, “Thanks for fueling good!”

One of the men, wearing a black hooded jacket, twists around toward another door and peers out as if he spotted something outside, and suddenly the 64-year-old hunches over, putting his hands out in front of him.

The trio quickly crumble to the floor, squirming, cringing and trying to cover themselves in a tangle of legs and arms during the hail of gunfire.

The door swings open and a gunman’s shoe is visible as bright white-and-orange flashes of gunfire erupt.

The gunman’s face is not visible.

At one point, as the barrage of gunfire causes their bodies to jerk around, one of the victims is pulled on top of another, seemingly as a shield.

When it’s over, the 64-year-old lies motionless, face-down in the corner. The only other survivor shoves his friend off of him, as bright red blood seeps and spreads onto the white tile floor. He picks up the dead man’s phone and pats his hair to check his head for wounds.

The Chicago Tribune has not posted the video to its website because police have not provided a copy of it.

But posts of the of video remained on Facebook and other social media outlets Saturday afternoon, sparking some confusion to viewers and Facebook commenters who thought it was a recent attack.

The video also caused outrage on Facebook and several comments about ongoing city violence, which has spurred protests and criticism of the Chicago Police Department.

On Saturday, a manager of the GoLo gas station said he was aware the video had been posted to Facebook but had no idea who released the footage, adding the business had changed owners shortly after the shooting.

The 64-year-old and his wife, who previously spoke to the Tribune after the 2017 attack, were unable to be reached for comment Saturday.

dawilliams@chicagotribune.com