WEEK IN REVIEW: At least 10 more killed in Chicago, including 2-month-old baby and popular local rap singer

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 12:28:31 -0600

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

It was another violent week in Chicago, with at least 10 people killed last week, including three in the West Austin neighborhood alone.

The death toll included a 2-month-old girl whose death in the Humboldt Park neighborhood was ruled a homicide by child abuse; and a popular local rapper killed after getting into a fight on a CTA Green Line train near downtown.

Family members took the baby, Aliya Acosta, to a hospital on Jan. 17 after she became unresponsive in her home, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner's office. She was later transferred to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 2:04 a.m. Thursday.

An autopsy Friday found she died from multiple injuries caused by child abuse, and the death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner's office.

An Illinois Department of Children and Family Services spokeswoman said the agency is investigating allegations of abuse against the girl’s mother, father and other caregivers; while Area North detectives are conducting a death investigation.

The rapper was stabbed to death Wednesday afternoon near Metra tracks in the Fulton River District. Walter Long Jr., 24, got into a fight with someone who pulled out a sharp object about 3:20 p.m. in the 400 block of North Clinton, police and the medical examiner’s office said.

Long, who rapped under the names dinnerwithjohn and JohnWalt, suffered a laceration to his upper left torso and was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Thursday, Kevin Alexander of East Garfield Park was charged with Long's murder. Alexander, 23, who knew Long, got into a fight with him on a train, which continued when they got off. Prosecutors say Long tried to walk away, but AlLexander went after him and stabbed him twice in the torso.

Alexander was taken into custody about two hours later at the University of Illinois Hospital, where he was being treated for a laceration to his chin, police said. He was ordered held on a $200,000 bond.

The week's death toll in Austin started when a man was shot to death on a front porch early Saturday. Keenan Turner, 29, was sitting in front of a home about 2:30 a.m. in the 300 block of North Lorel when someone walked up and shot him repeatedly across the body, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Turner was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where he was pronounced dead minutes later.
A 33-year-old man was found shot to death hours later in a neighborhood alley. Officers responding to a shooting at 6:53 a.m. in the 100 block of North Menard found Taurins Pope unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head, according to police and the medical examiner's office. He was dead at the scene.
A woman was killed and three other people wounded in a Saturday night shooting in Austin. The four were outside about 8:30 p.m. in the 100 block of North Mayfield when a dark SUV approached, police said. Two people got out and started shooting. Tenisha Mallett, 21, was shot in the neck and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police and the medical examiner's office.
A 25-year-old man was shot in the arm and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. An 18-year-old man was shot in his legs and was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park. And another 25-year-old woman was shot in her face and was taken to Stroger Hospital. All of their condition were stabilized, police said.
A man was found shot to death Sunday afternoon in the South Side Auburn Gresham neighborhood. Ryan Ellis, 25, was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the body in the 1400 block of West 84th Street at 1:55 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 45-year-old man was killed and another man wounded in a shooting Sunday afternoon in the South Shore neighborhood. Steven C. Jackson was standing in the 2400 block of East 75th Street at 1:44 p.m. when someone walked up and fired shots, according to police and the medical examiner's office.
Jackson was shot in the face and neck, and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. A second man, 54, was found with a gunshot wound to the right thigh and was also taken to Northwestern, where his condition stabilized.
A 17-year-old boy was shot to death Thursday night in the Jefferson Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. About 9 p.m., Alvin Stoll was with someone else in an alley in the 5300 block of West Foster when a shooter in a dark-colored car opened fire, hitting the boy in the abdomen, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Stoll was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he died an hour later.
A man and woman were found shot to death Monday morning in a home in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Officers responded to a call of a person shot at 7:36 a.m. in the 2500 block of West 46th Street, according to police. Pricilla A. Gloria Reyes, 33, was found shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office. Edwin Eliseco Chuy Cutzal, 31, was shot multiple times and was also pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Both of their deaths were ruled homicides.

Prosecutors: Walter Long Jr., aka rapper dinnerwithjohn, fatally stabbed after fight on CTA Green Line train

Jeff Mayes — Sat, 11 Feb 2017 11:33:00 -0600

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Kevin Alexander | Chicago Police

Prosecutors claim well-known Chicago rapper Walter Long Jr., who was stabbed to death in the Fulton Market District earlier this week, knew his assailant and had a previous run-in with the suspect’s friend.

Long–who performed most recently as “dinnerwithjohn"–had gotten into a prior altercation with Kevin Alexander’s friend and the friend’s cousin, Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini said in court Friday.

Alexander was on the CTA Green Line train with a friend heading westbound when Long got on the train at the Clark and Lake stop late Wednesday afternoon, Santini said.

At some point, Alexander approached Long and soon, the two began wrestling on the train, Santini said.

Walter Long Jr., aka dinnerwithjohn | Facebook

The fight ended at the Clinton stop when the 24-year-old Long got off the train and got off the platform. But Alexander followed, gave his friend his backpack, wallet and phone; and asked the friend for a knife he carried for protection, Santini said.

With knife in hand, Alexander, 23, ran up to Long in the 400 block of Clinton and stabbed him twice in the upper body, Santini said.

Long tried to run away after he was stabbed, but Alexander tailed him for a half a block before running away, Santini said.

Police and paramedics found Long unresponsive along the Metra tracks, Santini said. He was pronounced dead on the scene with two stab wounds to the upper torso.

CTA surveillance captured the initial fight between Long and Alexander, as well as Alexander running up to Long and stabbing him, Santini said.

A witness identified Alexander as Long’s assailant, Santini said, and Alexander admitted his role in the crime to detectives.

The knife has not been recovered, Santini said.

Alexander has a previous theft conviction.

Assistant Public Defender Sandra Parris argued for a lenient bond since Long’s death was the result of a fight.

But Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil noted that Long was moving away from Alexander before he was attacked.

The judge ordered Alexander, of East Garfield Park, held on $2 million.

According to the Chicago hip hop blog Fake Shore Drive, Long was a rapper who was a founding member of the group PIVOT Gang.

He was currently performing under the name dinnerwithjohn after previously using the stage name John Walt. He last played Jan. 6 at Lincoln Hall on the North Side.

Alexander works at the Original Penguin men’s clothing store and as a lunch porter at Lincoln Elementary, Parris said.

He is a graduate of Marshall Metro High School, did a year at Southern Illinois University, and previously worked at CVS, Parris said.

He also suffers from epilepsy as a result of a car accident several years ago, Parris said.

Kevin Alexander | Homicide Watch Chicago

WEEK IN REVIEW: At least 10 more killed in Chicago, including 2-month-old baby and popular local rap singer

Prosecutors: Walter Long Jr., aka rapper dinnerwithjohn, fatally stabbed after fight on CTA Green Line train