By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire
At least 18 victims of violence died in Chicago last week, including a newborn who died two days after an emergency delivery necessitated by his mother being shot in the chest by her brother, according to police.
The week’s death toll brings the city’s 2016 homicide total to 460 in less than eight months, according to Sun-Times Wire statistics. Last year fewer than 500 were killed for the entire year.
The newborn baby boy died Tuesday, just two days after being delivered by emergency cesarean section after a man shot the pregnant mother in the chest, according to Chicago Police. William E. Welch, 38, faces first-degree murder charges for the Sunday shooting near his home in the 1600 block of South Springfield.
Police said an argument started about 10:45 a.m. and Welch shot his 35-year-old sister in the chest. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, and her baby was delivered prematurely, police said.
The child, identified as Baby Boy Welch, died at 5:20 a.m. Tuesday of complications of extreme prematurity and emergency cesarean section delivery due to the mother’s gunshot wound, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The death was ruled a homicide. The woman remains hospitalized.
- The week’s final homicide was a southwest suburban man who was shot to death inside a Gage Park neighborhood home Sunday afternoon. Daniel Delgado was in a hallway of the home in the 5500 block of South Spaulding about 4:30 p.m. when someone walked up and shot him, according to authorities.
Delgado, of the 300 block of Heritage Parkway in Romeoville, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy found he died of a gunshot wound to the left thigh. Police said witnesses were being uncooperative with the investigation.
- A west suburban man was shot to death in West Garfield Park on Sunday afternoon. Two other people walked up to 22-year-old Kendrick Thorton on a sidewalk about 4:15 p.m. near West End and Keystone avenues, and at least one of them opened fire, striking him in the chest and abdomen, police said. The Bellwood resident was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy Monday found he died of multiple gunshot wounds.
- A 14-year-old boy was fatally shot early Sunday in Austin. Malik Causey was standing at the corner of North and Luna about 5 a.m. when a vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Malik was shot in the head and was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead half an hour later.
- A 25-year-old man was shot to death Sunday morning in the Marquette Park neighborhood. Darius Brownlee got into an argument with another male at 2:49 a.m. at a house party in the 7000 block of South Artesian, police said. Shots rang out, and he was found with a gunshot wound to the head on the front lawn. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A witness said the shooter walked up to Brownlee and asked him for marijuana. After Brownlee said he didn’t have any, the man shot him, the witness said. A woman suffered a graze wound to the foot in the shooting, but refused medical attention.
- A 24-year-old man was killed in a shooting early Sunday in the Homan Square neighborhood. Officers responding to a call of a person shot about 12:05 a.m. in the 3700 block of West Grenshaw found Jesus Valois on the porch of his home with a gunshot wound to the chest, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He had been shot at a different location before walking home to tell his family what happened, police said. Valois was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 1:30 a.m.
- A 66-year-old man was stabbed to death in the Northwest Side Logan Square neighborhood Saturday evening. John Alexander was inside his home in the 2500 block of West Moffat about 10:30 p.m. when a male came in and stabbed him multiple times, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. The suspect then ran away. Alexander was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead an hour later.
- A 20-year-old man was shot to death Saturday night in Belmont Gardens. Officers responding to a call of a person down about 8:15 p.m. in the 2700 block of North Harding found Mario Mojica-Rios dead at the scene with a gunshot wound to the back of the head, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
- A man was killed in a shooting in the West Chatham neighborhood Friday evening. Miles Alexander Kent, 26, was shot multiple times at 5:24 p.m. in the 7700 block of South Lafayette Avenue, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Kent, who lived a block away in the 7600 block of South Lafayette, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead an hour later.
- A man was fatally shot Friday morning in the Avalon Park neighborhood. Martel McCary, 24, was outside in the 7900 block of South Kimbark about 8:40 a.m. when a blue car pulled up, someone got out and they shot at him, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. McCary, who lived on the same block, was shot multiple times and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:59 p.m.
- A 37-year-old man died two days after being shot in the Lawndale neighborhood late Tuesday. Tyshun Jones was shot in the head about 10:30 p.m. near his home in the 2200 block of South Kirkland, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. James was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5 p.m. Thursday.
- Chavrone Finley was killed in a shooting late Wednesday in the Fernwood neighborhood. Officers responding about 11:50 p.m. to reports of a person down in the 10500 block of South Wentworth arrived to find the 28-year-old lying face-down on the sidewalk, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Finley, who lived on the same block, was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy found he died of a gunshot wound to the head.
- A 40-year-old man was killed and a 13-year-old girl wounded in a shooting Tuesday night in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. About 10 p.m., Kenneth Carrington and the girl were standing on the sidewalk in the 7300 block of South University when shots rang out and they were both struck, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
Carrington was shot in the neck, and was taken to Jackson Park Hospital, where he was pronounced dead minutes later, authorities said. He lived on the same block as the shooting. The girl suffered a graze wound to the leg and was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was in good condition. She appears to have been struck by a stray bullet, police said.
- A man was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in the River West neighborhood. Mikel Maragh, 26, was in a vehicle at 5:12 p.m. in the 1400 block of West Carroll when someone walked up and shot at him, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Maragh was shot in the head and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
- A man was shot to death early Tuesday in the Lawndale neighborhood. Aaron Marquise Brown, 21, was found at 3:57 a.m. lying unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the back in the 3800 block of West Roosevelt, according to police. Brown was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.
- A man was stabbed to death by his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend early Tuesday in Belmont Cragin, police said. About 3:30 a.m., 19-year-old Kirino Fabian was picking up his ex from her boyfriend’s house in the 5000 block of West Dickens when the boyfriend stabbed him, according to authorities.
He suffered multiple stab wounds and was taken to Community First Medical Center, where he died about 90 minutes later. A 20-year-old man was stabbed in the right arm while trying to defend Fabian, authorities said. He was taken to the same hospital in good condition. Twenty-year-old Belmont Cragin Alexis Julian Gonzalez was charged with the murder, and is being held on $900,000 bond.
- A 33-year-old man was shot to death in the West Garfield Park neighborhood Monday morning. Chavaris D. Guider was found lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the head about 4 a.m. in the first block of North Kilbourn, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died about six hours later, authorities said. Police said he was walking on Kilbourn with a 49-year-old man when someone walked up and announced a robbery. The robber took money from the older before shooting Guider.
- A 28-year-old man died Monday morning, three days after he was shot in the head in Austin. Vincent Winkfield was standing on a home’s front porch at 1:09 p.m. Friday in the 400 block of North Lavergne when a male got out of a dark-colored SUV and shot him in the head, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Winkfield was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:19 a.m. Monday.