Week in review: 14 more people killed, keeping city on pace to equal or top last year's horrific homicide total

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 30 Jun 2017 17:10:53 -0500

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Sun-Times file photo by Ashlee Rezin

Federal official announced this week they will be sending another 20 ATF Police officers to Chicago to help slow the wave of gun violence that does not seem to have slowed from last year's deadly pace.

Another 14 people died last week and the city's homicide total stood at 330 as of Friday morning. That means Chicago is actually one homicide ahead of last year, when murder total through June 30 was 329.

The city went on to record over 780 murders last year, the most in nearly 20 years, and while the number of shootings is down in 2017, the number of homicides is not.

Whether the extra federal help will show any significant results has yet to be seen, but the city is now entering that time of year which historically shows the highest number of homicides.

In shootings last week:

A 28-year-old man died two days after he was wounded in a shooting late Friday in the West Side Austin neighborhood. About 11:55 p.m. Friday, officers responding to a call of shots fired in the 5800 block of West Ohio found Ira Johnson lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the head, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Johnson, who lived in the same neighborhood, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 10:17 p.m. Sunday.

A teenage boy was shot and killed Sunday night at a gas station on the South Side. Alfredo Loza, 17, was standing outside the business about 10:40 p.m. in the 5200 block of South Western when a white car with a female driver and male passenger pulled up, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. An argument ensued and the male passenger shot Loza, who then returned fire, authorities said. Loza suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:18 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the Gage Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. A gun was recovered, but it was not known whether anyone else was injured.
A man was fatally stabbed early Saturday in the North Austin neighborhood on the West Side. Officers doing a well-being check about 5 a.m. in the 1600 block of North Menard found Andre Baker, 44, unresponsive with multiple stab wounds, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. It was later learned that he suffered the stab wounds during a fight with another man and a woman. Baker was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead at 5:27 a.m., officials said. He lived in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
A 44-year-old man was shot to death early Sunday while driving on the South Side. David Hobson Jr. was driving north in the 7900 block of South Brandon about 2:40 a.m. when his vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. When Hobson was pulled from the vehicle, paramedics discovered he had been shot in the shoulder and head, authorities said. Hobson, of the Humboldt Park neighborhood, was taken to South Shore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:45 a.m.
A man was killed in a drive-by shooting Saturday evening in the West Side Austin neighborhood. Maurice Purnell, 28, was standing outside about 5 p.m. in the 1200 block of North Laramie when someone fired shots from a passing vehicle, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Purnell was shot in the upper chest and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:53 p.m., authorities said. He lived same neighborhood.
A west suburban man was shot and killed Friday night in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. About 6:30 p.m., two males got out of a yellow vehicle and began shooting at 21-year-old Deangelo Pleasant as he stood on a porch in the 4700 block of West West End Avenue, police and the medical examiner’s office said. The gunmen got back into the vehicle and drove off after the shooting, which was believed to be gang-related, police said. Pleasant, a Cicero resident, was shot in the head and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A 58-year-old woman was found strangled early Thursday on a street in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. Catherine Saterfield-Buchanan was found unresponsive at 1:14 a.m. in the 3500 block of West Huron, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Thursday found she was strangled, and her death was ruled a homicide. The medical examiner’s office said her home address was unknown.
A man was killed Wednesday afternoon in an Englewood shooting. Officers responded to a call of shots fired about 2:15 p.m and found 29-yer-old Chris Williams suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest in the 7000 block of South Parnell, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Williams lived on the same block.
A Bronzeville neighborhood teenager died Wednesday morning, four days after being shot in Englewood. At 4:17 p.m. Saturday, 16-year-old Mishawn Green and a 15-year-old boy were standing in the 5500 block of South Shields when more then one person walked up and opened fire, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. The shooters drove off in a silver car. Green was taken to Stroger Hospital with a gunshot wound to the head, and was pronounced dead at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said. The younger boy was shot in the left leg and was stabilized, police said.
A man and woman died in a murder-suicide early Wednesday that closed the outbound Chicago Skyway for over five hours. They were in a vehicle heading east on the Skyway near the Toll Plaza at 88th Street at 4:11 a.m. when 49-year-old Lisa Fischer got out of the vehicle, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
Her boyfriend, 30-year-old Christopher M. Pena, then got out of the still-moving vehicle and fired shots at Fischer, striking her multiple times, authorities said. The vehicle then crashed into the concrete wall dividing the inbound and outbound Skyway just west of the plaza. A Chicago Police officer responding to the shooting saw Pena running back toward the vehicle, authorities said. The officer told him to stop, and Pena pulled out handgun and shot himself in the head. Fischer, of west suburban Broadview, and Pena, of the West Side Austin neighborhood, were both pronounced dead at the scene.
A 34-year-old man was killed in a LeClaire Courts neighborhood shooting early Wednesday on the Southwest Side. Duan Armfield was sitting in the passenger seat of a black Jeep about 1:15 a.m. in the 4500 block of South Leclaire when someone walked up and fired shots into the vehicle, according to police and the medical examiner's office. Armfield, who lived in the neighborhood, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A man was killed and two other men wounded in a shooting Tuesday night on the Near West Side. The shooting happened about 8:40 p.m. when four people got out of a vehicle in the 200 block of South Hoyne and fired at the three as they stood on a corner, police said. Antwon High, 26, was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police and the medical examiner's office. He lived in North Lawndale. A 21-year-old man was shot in the groin and was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. A 23-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to his left knee. He was also taken to Stroger, where his condition was stabilized.
A 33-year-old man was killed early Monday in a Humboldt Park shooting. Officers responding about 2:30 a.m. to a call of a person shot in the 1000 block of North Lawndale found Deandre Robinson lying face down on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the back, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Robinson, of Austin, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A man was killed early Monday in a North Lawndale shooting. Joseph Henderson, 25, was walking about 1:45 a.m. in the 1800 block of South Kildare when a black-colored car pulled up and someone inside fired shots, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Henderson was shot in the back and was pronounced dead at the scene. He lived in the South Chicago neighborhood.

Man fatally shoots his girlfriend, Lisa 'LeeLee' Fisher, then takes his own life on Chicago Skyway near Toll Plaza

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 10:40:59 -0500

By ASHLEE REZIN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

When the car pulled up to the Toll Plaza on the outbound Chicago Skyway early Wednesday morning, Lisa Fisher whispered to the attendant that she needed help.

Seconds later, about 4:11 a.m., the 49-year-old west suburban resident jumped out of the moving vehicle just past the plaza at 88th Street and tried to run.

But Chicago Police say her boyfriend, 30-year-old Christopher M. Pena also got out of the still-moving car, pulled a gun and fired several shots, striking Fisher multiple times.

She collapsed to the pavement, and as Pena went to the car, which had crashed into the concrete meridian separating the inbound and outbound lanes of I-90, police said.

A Chicago Police officer responding to the shooting saw Pena running back toward the car, authorities said. The officer told him to stop, but Pena raised the handgun and shot himself in the head.

Fisher, of west suburban Broadview; and Pena, of the West Side Austin neighborhood, were both pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Autopsies Thursday ruled Fisher’s death a homicide, and Pena’s death a suicide.

The eastbound lanes of the Skyway were closed for over five hours, reopening about 10 a.m., as police investigated the murder-suicide.

Police said they do not know the motive for the killings.

Fisher was a graduate of the former Flower Lucy Vocational High School, and worked as a fleet maintenance clerk for Envoy Air at O'Hare International Airport. She had two grown sons and one grandchild.

Christopher M. Pena | Homicide Watch Chicago

Week in review: 14 more people killed, keeping city on pace to equal or top last year's horrific homicide total

Man fatally shoots his girlfriend, Lisa 'LeeLee' Fisher, then takes his own life on Chicago Skyway near Toll Plaza