Homicide Watch Chicago

The death of a 72-year-old James L. Jefferies, who died after a domestic fight nearly three months ago at his West Side Homan Square home, has been ruled a homicide.

About 9:50 p.m. July 12, Jefferies was involved in a fight in the 3900 block of West Arthington, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A 61-year-old man struck Jefferies several times in the head, and he suffered a laceration to the eye and bruising to the face, police said.

He refused medical attention, but about 40 minutes later, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at 10:29 p.m., police said.

An autopsy at the time didn’t rule on cause and manner of death, with results pending further studies, the medical examiner’s office said. His cause of death has since been determined to be heart disease, with asthma and physical stress from the struggle listed as contributing factors. His death was ruled a homicide.

No one was in custody as of Tuesday afternoon as Area North detectives investigate.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Harold Stewart was fatally shot on Halloween morning on the block where he lived in the South Shore neighborhood.

The 63-year-old Stewart was shot in the head and upper body about 9:05 a.m. in the 7300 block of South Oglesby, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The circumstances of the shooting were unclear.

He was found unresponsive by officers responding to a call of a person shot. Stewart was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:22 a.m.

He lived in the same block as the shooting.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Marc A. Barginear had died, nearly three years after he was shot in the South Side Englewood neighborhood.

The 61-year-old Barginear was shot in August 2014 in the 5600 block of South Normal, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Details about the shooting were not immediately available, Chicago Police said.

Barginear, who lived the North Side Lake View neighborhood, died at 11:48 a.m. Aug. 14 in the 9300 block of South Perry, according to the medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy did not immediately rule on cause and manner of death, but has since found that he died of a pulmonary thromboembolism due to deep vein thrombosis of the legs, according to the medical examiner’s office. The remote gunshot wound to the right femur and obesity were listed as contributing factors, and his death was ruled a homicide.

Barginear was a graduate of the Fenger Academy High School class of 1974,
according to school records.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By JEFF MAYES and JACOB WITTICH
Chicago Sun-Times

Eshunte Mayfield | Facebook

Joshua Baker, who lives in the same block as the shooting, was charged with one felony count of obstruction of justice for destroying evidence, according to Chicago Police. It was unclear what evidence Baker was accused of destroying.

The second person, a 16-year-old girl whose identity was not released, was charged with a felony count of involuntary manslaughter, police said.

Joshua Baker | Chicago Police photo

Mayfield was shot at 6:57 p.m. when the 16-year-old girl, who police said was Mayfield’s “acquaintance,” was handling a gun inside an apartment in the 6600 block of South Marquette, and it accidentally fired.

Mayfield was struck in the eye and was pronounced dead at the scene less than 30 minutes later. The Cook County medical examiner’s office initially identified her as Eshani Mayfield, but the school’s website listed her as Eshunte.
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In what Chicago Police are calling an “accidental” shooting, Nadia Manjarrez was killed when a gun went off inside her Portage Park neighborhood home on the Northwest Side on Friday night.

About 10 p.m., the 21-year-old Manjarrez and a 37-year-old man were inside the home in the 4800 block of West Hutchinson when the gun went off, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Manjarrez was struck in the head and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 10:50 p.m., authorities said.

https://www.facebook.com/search/str/nadia+manjarrez/stories-keyword/stories-opinion

On a GoFundMe page set up to help with funeral expenses, her mother, Irma Martinez, wrote: Nadia “was the best of daughters beautiful, very noble, happy always made us laugh had the best of smiles, very friendly. Would never end how good and special it was for me and her brothers. She had many plans in the future, wanted to be a teacher, and she did not have to die this way, my daughter.”

The page had nearly doubled its goal of $2,000 in just two days.

Manjarrez was a 2014 graduate of Round Lake High School.

An autopsy Sunday did not rule on her cause and manner of death, with results pending further investigation, the medical examiner’s office said.

The gun was recovered and the man, whom friends said was Manjarrez’ boyfriend, was initially detained for questioning, police said. As of Tuesday morning, he had been released without charges as Area North detectives continue to investigate.

In a Facebook post, Ald. John Arena (45th) wrote: “Over the weekend, Nadia Manjarrez was fatally wounded after her boyfriend allegedly shot her by accident. My sincerest condolences go out to Nadia’s friends and family as they grieve the loss of their loved one. The incident is still under investigation, and I am in communications with the police as they gather more intelligence about what transpired to cause this senseless and avoidable death.

“It is one of two fatalities that occurred this past weekend in our city due to careless handling of a firearm. In the wake of this tragedy, I want to remind residents of the best practices for handling and securing firearms. These powerful weapons should be treated with the same level of consideration for the amount of damage that they can cause.”

—Homicide Watch Chicago

Lonnie Hartman of Austin and Kenta Ali Holifield of Indianapolis were fatally shot Friday morning in the Northwest Side Humboldt Park neighborhood.

Holifield, 39, and Hartman, 31, were in a car just after 10 a.m. in the 3400 block of West Augusta when a person walked up and spoke with them before firing shots, according to Chicago Police and Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Holifield was shot multiple times in the chest and head. He was found inside the car before being taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:14 a.m., police and the medical examiner’s office said. The medical examiner’s office said he was a resident of Indianapolis.

Hartman was shot several times in the body and was found in the street, police said. He was taken to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:36 a.m., authorities said. He lived in the West Austin neighborhood.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

A parolee has been denied bond after he was charged with the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old Micah Brown last month in the Marquette Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

Raphael Young | Chicago Police

Raphael Young, 30, faces one count of first-degree murder in connection with the Sept. 15 shooting of Brown, according to Chicago Police.

Officers responding to a call of shots fired at 11:14 a.m. found Brown lying unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest in the 6400 block of South Talman, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Prosecutors said Brown and Young had been involved in a fight, and after Brown struck Young in the face, he pulled out a gun and shot Brown, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

He had lived in the Gresham neighborhood.

Young, of Marquette Park, was on parole at the time of the shooting for drug and weapons violations, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.

Young, who was on parole for a drug conviction, was ordered held without bond. He was next scheduled to appear in court Monday.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

A man killed in a drive-by shooting in the South Side Washington Park neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon has been identified as 19-year-old Tremell L. Stornes Jr..

About 2:45 p.m., Stornes was standing outside on the 5200 block of South Cottage Grove, about a block away fro his home, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A silver or gray car drove by and someone inside fired shots, police said.

Stornes was struck in the was head and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:11 p.m., authorities said.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Robert Gant was stabbed to death inside his Far South Side Roseland neighborhood apartment on Friday, and his 52-year-old roommaten has been charged with his murder.

Jerome Flagg | Cook County Sheriff’s Dept.

Flagg at some point picked up a knife and stabbed Gant multiple times, police said.

Gant was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:45 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

Flagg was taken into custody immediately and charged with one count of first-degree murder, according to police.

He was denied bond during a court hearing Sunday and was next scheduled to appear in court Monday.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Fifteen-year-old Jeyson Gonzalez was killed and a 14-year-old boy seriously wounded in a Brighton Park neighborhood shooting Thursday afternoon.

The two boys were walking in the 2500 block of West 45th Street, several blocks from Kelly High School, when shots were fired from the sidewalk, according to Chicago Police.

Shot rang out about 3:36 p.m. both boys were hit, and tried to run away, police said. The number of shooters was unknown.

Gonzalez was struck in the side of the body, and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:15 p.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He lived in the West Englewood neighborhood.

The 14-year-old was shot in the lower back and was taken in serious condition to Stroger.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

—Chicago Sun-Times Wire