Tragedy Strikes Chicago’s Drill Scene: Lil Durk’s Affiliate THF Zoo Gunned Down in Public Ambush
In a shocking turn of events, Chicago drill rapper THF Zoo, born Devinci Collier, was brutally murdered in a calculated ambush on October 26, 2025. The 35-year-old artist, known for his gritty lyrics and tumultuous past, was shot multiple times in a public parking lot, marking a tragic end to a life that had already defied the odds time and again.
Surveillance footage from the scene captured the chaotic moments leading up to Zoo’s death, showing a seemingly ordinary afternoon in the Little Village neighborhood transforming into a scene of violence. As Zoo and two associates stood in the parking lot, armed assailants emerged from a vehicle and opened fire, leaving Zoo critically injured. Despite immediate medical attention, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at Mount Sinai Hospital, sending shockwaves through the Chicago drill community and beyond.
Zoo’s life was a complex tapestry woven with threads of survival, street credibility, and artistic ambition. Born on September 26, 1990, in the notorious Cabrini-Green housing projects, he grew up amid violence and hardship that would shape his identity. Known for beating multiple murder charges and navigating a perilous lifestyle, Zoo became a near-mythical figure in drill music circles, celebrated for his raw authenticity and connection to fellow artists like Lil Durk and King Von.
His music career gained traction in the early 2020s, with tracks like “Do It for Von” and “Mad Cuz I’m Rich” garnering millions of streams. However, despite his artistic aspirations, Zoo remained entangled in the very violence he sought to escape. He often spoke about wanting to break the cycle of violence for his seven children and the youth of Chicago, yet his reputation and past affiliations made it nearly impossible to fully detach from the life that ultimately claimed him.
The circumstances surrounding Zoo’s death have raised numerous questions. The attack was not a random act of violence; it was premeditated, executed with a level of precision that suggests a deep-rooted vendetta. Eyewitness accounts and police reports indicate that the attackers approached on foot, contradicting initial claims of a vehicle-based ambush, leading to speculation about the motivations behind the attack and the potential involvement of rival factions in Chicago’s gang landscape.
As news of Zoo’s death spread, reactions poured in from across the hip-hop community. Close associates expressed profound sorrow, with Duty Low vowing to support Zoo’s children in the wake of their father’s tragic loss. Yet, the response was not universally mournful; rival factions took to social media to celebrate the rapper’s demise, highlighting the brutal reality of gang culture in Chicago, where violence often breeds a cycle of retaliation and grief.
The timing of Zoo’s death is particularly poignant, occurring just days before the anniversary of his 2014 arrest for murder, a case he famously beat in 2018. This cruel twist of fate serves as a stark reminder of the volatile nature of life in Chicago’s streets, where past actions can come back to haunt individuals in the most tragic ways.
As the drill community grapples with the loss of one of its own, the echoes of THF Zoo’s life and death resonate deeply. He was a man caught in the crossfire of ambition and survival, a father trying to forge a better path for his children while being unable to escape the shadows of his past. His story is a tragic reflection of the complexities of life in Chicago, where dreams can be extinguished in an instant, and the cycle of violence continues unabated.
