Homicide Watch Chicago

Mario Mojica-Rios was shot to death Saturday night near a park in the Belmont Gardens neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

Officers responding to a call of a person down about 8:15 p.m. in the 2700 block of North Harding, near Kosciuszko Park, found the 20-year-old dead with a gunshot wound to the back of the head, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Mojica-Rios, who lived just a few blocks away in the 4000 block of West Nelson, was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:36 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. His death was ruled a homicide.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

An 18-year-old man has been charged with the murder ofJesus Valois, killed in a shooting last week in the West Side Homan Square neighborhood.

Francisco Saldana faces first-degree murder charges for the Aug. 21 attack in the 3700 block of West Grenshaw, according to Chicago Police.

Officers responding to a call of a person shot about 12:05 a.m. in the 3700 block of West Grenshaw found the 24-year-old Valois on the porch of his home with a gunshot wound to the chest, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He had been shot at a different location before walking back home to tell his family what happened, police said.

Valois, known as “Chacho,” was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 1:30 a.m., authorities said.

Saldana, of the 5300 block of South Maplewood, was arrested Thursday and appeared in court Friday. A judge ordered him held on a $1 million bond, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office, and he is due in court again Oct. 12.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By MATTHEW HENDRICKSON
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Police investigate the shooting of a 14-year-old boy in the North Austin neighborhood on Sunday morning. | Matthew Hendrickson / Sun-Times

The boy 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 Chicago Police and the Cook County 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 at 5:33 a.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 1300 block of North Menard.

A few people stood outside the crime tape watching investigators work early Sunday, but said they didn’t hear or see anything.

One young man just starred vacantly into the taped-off area and walked away when he was asked if he knew the boy. Evidence markers placed in the westbound lanes of North Avenue showed at least four shots were fired.

When the scene was processed, detectives headed into the building behind where the boy was shot to hunt for security camera footage. Other officers removed the crime scene tape, got in their SUVs and drove away.

The blood was left where it lay as early morning risers began to walk the sidewalks.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Tyshun Jones died Thursday, two days after being shot near his home in the Lawndale neighborhood late Tuesday.

The 37-year-old Jones was shot in the head about 10:30 p.m. near his home in the 2200 block of South Kirkland, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Jones was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.

Police did not have more details on the shooting, and no one was in custody as of early Monday.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By DANIEL BROWN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

A boy looks onto the crime scene where Chavrone Finley was shot to death early Wednesday in Fernwood. | Daniel Brown/Sun-Times

Officers responding about 11:50 p.m. to reports of a person down in the 10500 block of South Wentworth arrived to find Finley lying face-down on the sidewalk, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Finley, who lived on the same block, was pronounced dead at the scene at midnight, according to the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy found he died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Red police tape cordoned off the intersection of West 105th Place and South Wentworth. The body could be seen on the front step of a small apartment building on the corner.

One neighbor, Barbara Banks, said she was asleep when she heard 4-5 shots. “I heard pow, pow, pow, pow, and then went to the floor and called the police.”
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Miles Alexander Kent was killed in a shooting just a block from his home in the West Chatham neighborhood Friday evening, authorities said.

The 26-year-old was shot multiple times at 5:24 p.m. in the 7700 block of South Lafayette Avenue, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Kent, known as Rico, who lived in the 8000 block of South Buffalo, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m., authorities said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family and to pay funeral expenses.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Martel McCary was shot Friday morning on the block where he lived in the Avalon Park neighborhood, and died at a hospital about six hours later.

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 Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The shooter then got back into the car, which drove away.

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., authorities said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

A newborn baby died Tuesday, just two days after his premature delivery was necessitated by his mother being “accidentally” shot in the chest in the North Lawndale neighborhood, according to Chicago Police.

William E. Welch | Chicago Police

William E. Welch, 38, was charged with first-degree murder for the Sunday shooting near his home in the 1600 block of South Springfield, according to Chicago Police.

Police did not say whether Welch was related to the child, but the mother posted on Facebook that the shooter was her brother.

An argument started about 10:45 a.m. and Welch fired shots at a 34-year-old man, but instead hit the 35-year-old woman in the chest, police allege.

She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, and her baby boy was delivered by emergency C-section, police said.

The woman remained hospitalized as of Thursday.

Welch, who also faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder, was arrested Tuesday in the 3700 block of West Roosevelt, police said. He was due in bond court Friday.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Alexis Julian Gonzalez | Chicago Police

Fabian, sitting in the front passenger seat of a friend’s red Honda, opened the car door to let his on-and-off girlfriend inside the car early Tuesday when Alexis Julian Gonzalez started attacking him with a knife, Cook County prosecutors said in court Wednesday.

Fabian, 19, fell out of the car at Dickens and Lavergne, and was lying on the ground as Gonzalez continued to stab him, Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo said.

Fabian’s 20-year-old brother was stabbed in the arm as he jumped out of the car to try to rescue his sibling, Lisuzzo said.
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By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Wynton Collins | Cook County Sheriff’s Dept.

Wynton Collins, 32, was convicted of first-degree murder in May, according to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

Randell, 31, was sitting on her cousin’s porch with her two children in the 1600 block of South Drake about 5:20 p.m. July 8, 2013, when Collins confronted her and tried to speak to her, prosecutors said.

After Randell refused to speak to him, Collins pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired at her in front of the children, ages 4 and 7; and four other relatives, prosecutors said.
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