Person Of Interest In Death Of 'Funnel Cake Man' Arrested, Questioned

DOLTON, IL — Dolton police over the weekend arrested a person of interest in the fatal shooting of a beloved local businessman, on a warrant from a different police agency, said Police Chief Robert Collins. Police questioned Xavier Harding, 27, on his connection to the death of Tavares Davis, a businessman, husband and father known for his "Funnel Cake Man" shops at Orland Square Mall and Southlake Mall in Merrillville.

Harding has not yet been charged in the death of Davis, Collins told Patch via email Wednesday. His part in the Davis' murder is still under investigation, he said.

Davis was shot and killed on Aug. 2. His body was thrown from a car near 155th Street and Drexel Avenue in Dolton. Using surveillance footage from the area, police last week named Harding as a person of interest. Harding was seen entering a white Mercedes-Benz SUV with other people, including the victim, police said.

Police released an image of a second man they say is involved in the shooting, who fled the scene in a white Chevy Malibu with dealer plate 492D40, out of Michigan. The car has two defects in the hood, police said. The vehicle has been identified as being involved in a felony.

Police questioning Davis is the most recent development in the broad-daylight shooting of the 41-year-old from South Holland, known for his entrepreneurial spirit and his creation of The Funnel Cake Man business, with locations in Orland Park's Orland Square Mall and Southlake Mall in Merrillville, Indiana.

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