Homicide Watch Chicago

Adam Wiggins Furtick of southwest suburban Bridgeview was returning home from a concert in Joliet on Columbus Day, but never made it.

The 34-year-old was shot while driving in the Southwest Side Scottsdale neighborhood and died about five hours later at a hospital in what a friend called “a random act of senseless violence that left his family and friends shocked and heartbroken.”

Furtick was found about 1:15 a.m. inside his vehicle in the 4300 block of West 79th Street, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at 6:15 a.m., authorities said. An autopsy showed he died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

He leaves behind a wife and three young children.

A GoFundMe page set up to help with funeral expenses had raised nearly $7,500 towards a $10,000 goal in just two days.

The author of the page said Furtick often went to shows in the area, sometimes working in the mucis industry and other times just to enjoy the music: “Adam loved music and worked many jobs within it over the years. He loved being involved and was always eager to help.

“Adam was a brother to many and was always there if someone needed him, so shall we be for him now in this most terrible of times.”

Furtick worked show security for FM Entertainment, managed shows for CBM Premier Management, and also worked as a stagehand through IATSE Local 125. He had attended Sterling Morton East High School in Cicero.

—Homicide Watch Chicago

A man who was shot to death early Monday in the East Chatham neighborhood on the South Side has been identified as a 24-year-old Joshua Williams.

Williams was walking with a group of men at 12:37 a.m. in an alley in the 8300 block of South Ingleside, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Someone fired shots and Williams was struck in the head, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:02 a.m. He lived in the South Shore neighborhood.

No one was in custody as Area South detectives investigate.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

The death of Reynaldo Trevino, who was found unresponsive Friday afternoon in the Gage Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side, has been ruled a homicide.

The 47-year-old Trevino was found with a large wound to the leg about 1 p.m. in the 5800 block of South Sawyer, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The Brighton Park neighborhood resident was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:24 p.m., authorities said.

An autopsy Friday did not immediately rule on cause and manner of death, but has since found that Trevino died of a gunshot wound to the right lower leg, according to the medical examiner’s office. His death was ruled a homicide.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Marshall Carter died about an hour after he was shot Monday afternoon near his home in the South Shore neighborhood.

About 2:10 p.m., the 46-year-old Carter was standing outside in the back of a home in the 7300 block of South Dante, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Someone walked up and fired shots, police said, and Carter, who lived less than a block away, suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:53 p.m., authorities said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Oscar Carter was fatally shot Sunday evening in the West Side Austin neighborhood.

The 30-year-old Carter was standing outside a vehicle at 7:26 p.m. in the 1300 block of North Mason, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A car drove by and someone inside fired shots, striking Carter multiple times in the chest, authorities said.

He was taken to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, where he died at 8:11 p.m., authorities said.

Carter lived in the West Garfield Park neighborhood and had attended Ella Flagg Young Elementary and Steinmetz College Prep High School.

An alumni Facebook for his former high school wrote that Carter “always showed off his goofy personality and beautiful children at every chance he could. We are in shock at losing a friend and classmate.”

Alexis Salgado and Manuel Mendoza were shot to death Saturday morning while driving in the Pilsen neighborhood on the Near West Side, and police say it happened after one of them flashed a gun at someone on the street.

Salgado, 20, and Mendoza, 18, were driving about 10:50 a.m. in the 1800 block of South Throop, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

They flashed a gun at someone standing on the street, but that person pulled out their own gun and fired shots into the vehicle, police said.

Both men were hit.

Salgado suffered a gunshot wound to his body and tried to get out of the vehicle, but collapsed, authorities said.

Mendoza, a Little Village resident, was shot in the neck.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooter was not in custody as of early Wednesday, police said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Semaj L. Berry was fatally shot Friday evening in the East Chatham neighborhood on the South Side.

About 4:45 p.m., the 17-year-old Berry was found unresponsive by police after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest in the 800 block of East 83rd Street, Chicago Police said.

He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at 5:43 p.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Berry lived in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side. No one was in custody early Tuesday as Area South detectives conduct a homicide investigation.

By MATTHEW HENDRICKSON
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Police say the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Pleasure Cardell Singleton Jr. was a case of self-defense, and the woman who shot him will not be charged.

The woman shot Singleton after he stabbed her multiple times Thursday afternoon in a domestic fight in his West Side Lawndale neighborhood home, Chicago Police said.

About 4:05 p.m. Oct. 5, Singleton, a father of three, was shot in the chest after he stabbed the 25-year-old woman multiple times in the 4000 block of West 21st Street, police said.

The woman was taken in serious condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, and Singleton was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:48 p.m., authorities said.

The stabbing was believed to be a domestic incident, police said, but the nature of the relationship between the two wasn’t released.

Charges against the woman were rejected when the shooting was ruled self-defense, police said Saturday.

A man killed in a shooting last week in the West Side Austin neighborhood has been identified as 43-year-old Brian Keith Cheek Sr. of the Northwest Side.

Officers responded at 6:13 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, to a call of shots fired in the 1000 block of North Long and found Cheek unresponsive in a gangway, Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

He had suffered a gunshot wound to the torso and was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:22 a.m., authorities said.

Cheek lived in the Northwest Side Galewood neighborhood, according to the medical examiner’s office. He was the father of six and worked as a forklift operator, according to a family member.

Area North detectives are investigating the shooting.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Ian “Blue” Ashford of Lincoln Park was shot to death Friday afternoon in the Albany Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

The 22-year-old Ashford was in a vehicle about 2:10 p.m. in the 4600 block of North Central Park Avenue, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Someone on foot fired shots at the vehicle and Ashford was struck in the chest, authorities said.

He was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:37 p.m, police and the medical examiner’s office said. He lived in the North Side Lincoln Park neighborhood.

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

The author of the page wrote of Ashford: “He was such an amazing person, extremely selfless, kind-hearted, and a tremendous joy to everyone in his life. His life was ended tragically and far too soon. He will be missed tremendously by everyone!

“His death comes as a complete shock to all of us and we are absolutely devastated.”

Area North detectives were investigating.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire and Homicide Watch Chicago