Homicide Watch Chicago

A 16-year-old boy appeared in juvenile court Wednesday after being charged with fatally shooting 53-year-old Quenten Wright during an attempted robbery in the Far South Side Roseland neighborhood in December.

The boy, whose name was not released because of his age, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery, and unlawful use of a weapon, according to Cook County state’s attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton.

About 11:45 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2016, the boy shot 53-year-old Quenten Wright during an attempted robbery outside Wright’s home in the 11400 block of South King Drive, authorities allege. Neighbors said the victim had been outside shoveling snow at the time.

Wright was shot in the head and both arms, and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at 3:31 p.m., authorities said.

About five minutes earlier, the boy had attempted to rob a 52-year-old man as he shoveled snow in the 11300 block of South Forest Avenue, Chicago Police said. That victim was able to run away and was not hurt.

The boy was arrested about 5:20 p.m. Monday at his home in the 7400 block of South Michigan Avenue, police said.

He appeared in juvenile court Wednesday and was ordered held until his next court appearance, a status hearing scheduled for May 23, Simonton said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Seventeen-year-old Kaveon D. Anthoni Walton was killed and a 22-year-old man wounded in a shooting Tuesday afternoon in the South Deering neighborhood on the Far South Side.

They were walking west on 95th Street at 12:21 p.m. when two masked males got out of a black SUV heading south on Yates Avenue.

The men then opened fire before getting back into the SUV and heading east on 95th Street, Chicago Police said.

Walton, who lived a few blocks away, was shot multiple times in the chest, right leg and right arm, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 1:32 p.m.

The 22-year-old was also shot repeatedly, and was taken in critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By LAUREN FITZPATRICK and MATTHEW HENDRICKSON
Chicago Sun-Times

Michael A. Williams and his sister Adriana Williams had stopped at a memorial service for a friend who had been killed hours earlier in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

Michael Williams and his sister Adriana were shot to death at a memorial service for a friend Sunday evening in Brighton Park. | Facebook

As the gatherers mourned, two gunmen, apparently using assault rifles, opened fire on the crowd, leaving the siblings dead and eight other people wounded about 5:15 p.m. Sunday at Rockwell Street and 46th Place, according to Chicago Police Deputy Supt. Kevin Navarro.

Michael Williams, 24; and Adriana Williams, 27, were both shot multiple times, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Michael was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said, while Adriana was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:57 p.m.
Read more

Jermaine Brown was walking along a street in the South Side Washington Park neighborhood Monday night when another person approached.

Chicago Police said that person pulled out a gun shot the 23-year-old several times.

Brown was in the 5400 block of South Indiana at 7:42 p.m. when the suspect opened fire, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Brown, who lived in the same neighborhood, was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:48 p.m., authorities said.

No one is in custody.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Daniel Cordova was shot to death early Sunday in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

About 4:30 a.m., officers responded to a call of a person shot in the 2500 block of West 46th Place, They found the 26-year-old Cordova unresponsive and lying on the ground between two parked cars, Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy showed Cordova, who lived in the same neighborhood where he was shot, died of multiple gunshot wounds.

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

The author of the page wrote: “We lost a loving, son, father, brother, uncle, and friend. Unfortunately​ We never know when it’s our time or what God has planned for us. Daniel’s life was took way before his time, leaving so many people heartbroken.”

She described Cordova, who had a young daughter, this way: “He was always such a happy person. With a smile that would light up a room.”

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

When an armed robber entered his father’s restaurant in the Northwest Side Montclare neighborhood restaurant early Sunday, Jaime Arceo and a second man tried to stop the crime.

But the suspect opened fire, leaving the 19-year-old Arceo dead, and the second man wounded, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

About 2:50 a.m., a man wearing a ski mask and holding a gun entered La Fiesta Taqueria & Taconazo in the 7100 block of West Diversey and announced a robbery, according to police. Arceo, whose father owns the restaurant, and a 22-year-old man were shot while trying to stop the robbery.

Arceo suffered a gunshot wound to the right shoulder, and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 5:04 a.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in west suburban Elmwood Park.

A friend posted on Facebook that Arceo “went out a hero,” while others left flowers and signs outside the diner.

The older man was shot in the back, and was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

The robber ran from the scene after taking money from the register, police said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By FRNAK MAIN, ANDY GRIMM AND MATTHEW HENDRICKSON
Chicago Sun-Times

Anthony M. Moore | Chicago Police

Anthony M. Moore, 18, of the 7900 block of South Sawyer, appeared before Judge Donald Panarese, charged with first-degree murder in the death of Dennis, a journalism major at St. John’s University in New York. His father, Sgt. Arshell Dennis, once served with CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson as a patrol officer in the Gresham District.

The younger Dennis, known as “Trey,” was entering his junior year at St. John’s and was home visiting his family prior to the new school year when he was shot and killed last summer.

The 19-year-old was shot to death and a friend wounded while they sat on the porch of his parents’ South Side home on Aug. 14.

Moore is also charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Dennis’ 20-year-old friend, who was hit in the arm and chest.
Read more

Sixteen-year-old Jesus Escobar of south suburban Blue Island died Sunday afternoon, about 15 hours after he was wounded in a shooting late Saturday in the Vittum Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

The boy was with and a 19-year-old man standing outside about 11:55 p.m. Saturday in the 4800 block of South La Crosse Avenue, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An SUV then went past and someone inside fired shots, according to police.

Escobar was shot in the head and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 3:31 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

The man suffered a gunshot wound to the right foot and was taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Harry J. Davis Jr. was shot to death on Friday afternoon inside a Bronzeville apartment building on the South Side, ending one of the city’s longest stretches without a homicide this year.

About 4:45 p.m., three gunmen followed Davis as he walked into his apartment in the 4500 block of South Drexel, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. They then shot him repeatedly in the head.

Davis, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:05 p.m., about block away from King College Prep, authorities said. He lived in the Washington Park neighborhood.

A weapon was recovered at the scene, but no arrests had been made as of Monday morning.

It was the first fatal shooting in the city since early Monday, May 1, a stretch of over 4 1/2 days, marking Chicago’s third-longest stretch this year without a homicide.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By JEFF MAYES
Homicide Watch Chicago

Chicago Police on Monday said the number of shootings in Chicago declined for the second month in a row in April, but that didn’t stop another 10 people from dying in violence in the final week of the month.

Overall, 45 people were fatally shot in Chicago in April, a month in which 313 people were injured in 247 separate shooting incidents, according to police statistics released Monday, and maintained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Shootings are down almost 13 percent from the same time last year, according to police. So far, there have been about 9 percent fewer shooting victims compared to 2016. Police said the decline continued from March, when 209 people were shot, 35 of them fatally.

Fifteen of the city’s 22 police districts saw a reduction or remained flat in shootings compared to this time last year, police said.At least 10 people were killed in violence last week in Chicago.

Homicides are a different story. While 2016 saw the most shootings in the city in over 20 years, 2017 is keeping pace. As of the end of April, there have been at least 190 homicides in the city, according to Sun-Times records. That is actually four more homicides than the 186 that were reported through the end of April 2016.
Read more