Gary Woman Accused in Two Armed Incidents
A Gary woman has been charged in two separate Lake County cases after police say she pulled a gun on a Family Dollar employee in Gary and days later used a handgun to rob a man at gunpoint in East Chicago.
According to court documents, the first incident happened on the morning of September 19, 2025, at a Family Dollar store in the 4700 block of Melton Road. An employee reported that Devonya D. Buie, 45, of Gary, attempted to return a set of headphones. When the return was declined, the employee observed Buie walking through the store and placing merchandise into her purse.
After Buie left without paying, the employee followed her next door to a liquor store. Investigators said that when confronted, Buie denied stealing and pulled a black handgun from her purse, pointing it directly at the worker. The employee fled back to Family Dollar, locked the doors, and called 911.
Police confirmed details of the theft through the store’s internal surveillance footage.
On September 23, 2025, East Chicago police were dispatched to the police department on East Columbus Drive after a man walked in with Buie and reported he had just been robbed at gunpoint.
The man told officers he had been leaving a Walgreens nearby when Buie asked for a ride and food. He agreed, and after stopping at a Wendy’s across the street to buy her food, they returned to his SUV. Once inside, Buie pulled out a black Ruger P85 semi-automatic handgun, racked the slide, and pointed it at his face while demanding his belongings.
According to police, Buie rifled through his property, took identifying information, and told him she had called her sons to go to his house. The man said she then insisted they walk together to the East Chicago Police Department.
Inside the station, officers confronted Buie, who began backing away and said, “I’m sorry, am I in trouble? I don’t wanna go to jail.” A search of her bag revealed the Ruger handgun, which was loaded with 10 live rounds of ammunition.
During interviews, the man said Buie repeatedly and loudly accused him of attempting to solicit her for sex, using crude language. He denied the accusations and told investigators she seemed to make the comments loudly to draw attention from others. Detectives confirmed the sequence of events through Walgreens surveillance video and East Chicago Police Department security footage.
Court records show Buie was convicted of dealing cocaine in 2005 in Lake County. She also has a 2022 conviction in Cook County, Illinois, for unlawfully carrying or possessing a firearm after an aggravated unlawful use of a weapon charge was reduced.
Charges Filed:
Gary case (Family Dollar) –
• Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon (Level 5 felony)
• Pointing a Firearm (Level 6 felony)
• Theft (Level 6 felony)
East Chicago case –
• Armed Robbery (Level 3 felony)
• Pointing a Firearm (Level 6 felony)
• Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon (Level 4 felony)
Buie was lodged in the Lake County Jail on September 25, 2025.
