Reward Offered For Tips In Fatal Shooting Of 'The Funnel Cake Man'

DOLTON, IL — A $5,000 reward is being offered for any tips in the slaying of a well-known businessman and beloved family man.

Tavares Davis was shot and killed last week in Dolton, in what family and police called a robbery. Davis and his wife are the pair behind The Funnel Cake Man, a local business aimed at bringing the taste and fun of typical fair food funnel cakes into everyday life, with locations in Orland Square Mall in Orland Park, and Southlake Mall in Merrillville.

The shooting happened August 2 near the corner of Drexel Avenue and 155th Street in Dolton, and police say they have one witness or person of interest. Family and friends gathered Sunday to release balloons in Davis' memory, and south suburban activist Andrew Holmes urged people to come forward, NBC5 reports.

"The individuals that were there that took his life, you know who you are," Holmes said during the gathering. "Go do the right thing, turn yourself in because it may just be a matter of time."

Davis' wife Nakesha said she will carry on the business in his memory. The two have three children together.

"He was proud to be a business owner, and he would give you the shirt off of his back," Davis said. "He was just that type of individual."

Davis spoke passionately about his business venture to the Chicago Defender in May 2022. He got the idea for the business while standing in line for funnel cake at Great America, and wondering where people could find the dessert in the off-season.

"I looked around and wondered if the line for funnel cake is this long every day (I’m pretty sure it is) and thought what if we brought funnel cake to people like this all year round," Davis told the Defender. "People wouldn’t have to wait for a fair or have to travel all the way to Great America for one when we can sell them at a standard location where people can have them all year."

He told the publication that he picked a challenge, because it's part of who he is.

"I’ve always had a hustler’s attitude," Davis said. "When I first thought about doing this, I thought about how much money it costs to make them, and how much could we make out of each one that we make/sell and we realized that this is a profitable margin and everybody loves it. We didn’t want to target one race with our products."

Services have been set for Davis, with a public viewing scheduled for Friday, August 12 from 3 to 6 p.m., visitation for Saturday, August 13 from 11 to 11:30 a.m., and celebration from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Services will be held at Gatling Funeral Home, 10133 S. Halsted St., Chicago.

Anyone with information on Davis' death is asked to call the Dolton Police Department at 708-841-2533.