Chicago Sun-Times (IL) - Saturday, February 23, 2013
Author/Byline: BY FRANK MAIN ; Staff Reporter
A West Side pastor’s son has refused to cooperate with the police — even though investigators believe he was the intended target of a shooter whose errant bullet killed an innocent Clemente High School student, sources said.
Police were holding a suspect for questioning on Friday in the slaying of Frances Colon , an 18-year-old senior who planned to attend college.
Colon was shot to death on Feb. 15 in the 1100 block of North Pulaski. She was never arrested or in trouble with the police, authorities said.
Sources said they believe the 34-year-old suspect is a member of the Black P Stones street gang. They think he and the pastor’s 28-year-old son were arguing over a drug deal before the shooting.
The suspect and the target both have extensive criminal backgrounds, sources said.
The pastor, who requested anonymity, said he urged his son to cooperate with the police.
The pastor and two other pastors accompanied his son to speak to the police. But then the son changed his mind and refused to talk, the pastor said.
“He didn’t want his family to be at risk,” the pastor said. “If it was me, I would tell… . I have marched against violence in our community. I don’t go by the code of ‘snitches get stitches.’ I thought my son would do it. I did the best I could.”
Some believe the reluctance of witnesses to cooperate with police is a reason why the Chicago Police Department’s murder clearance rate was just 25 percent last year.
Colon was the third Clemente High School student killed in 2013.