It was supposed to be a night of celebration but instead it ended in tragedy, said prosecutors Tuesday as the trial over the 2020 killings of two men during an apparent robbery in Chinatown got underway at the Leighton Criminal Court building.

Family and friends of Huayi Bian, 36 and Weizhong Xiong, 38, filled the gallery in the courtroom of Cook County Judge Neera Walsh.

Alvin Thomas, 25, is accused of fatally shooting Bian and Xiong in a parking lot near Tan Court and Wells Street around 2:10 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2020 — just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns began.

Thomas, 25, who sat quietly next to his lawyer, is facing two counts of first-degree murder. He has been held in jail since his arrest the day of the shooting.

“It was supposed to be a night of celebration but instea

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