Man charged with reckless homicide for fatally striking Guadalupe Chavez Dean in Garfield Ridge hit-and-run

Jeff Mayes — Tue, 03 May 2016 12:48:13 -0500

Reckless homicide charges have been filed against the driver of an SUV that struck two pedestrians late Saturday on a busy street in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood near Midway Airport, leaving Guadalupe Chavez Dean dead.

Patrick J. Brazel | Chicago Police

Patrick J. Brazel, 27, has been charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing injuries or death; one count of reckless homicide; one count of aggravated DUI causing a fatal accident; and a misdemeanor count of DUI, according to Chicago Police. He was also cited for failure to take due care for a pedestrian in the roadway.

About 10:45 p.m. Saturday, the 42-year-old Chavez Dean and a 39-year-old man were walking north across Archer Avenue at Lavergne when they were both struck by a red Jeep, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The driver left the scene of the crash, but witnesses got the license number of the Jeep and Brazel was arrested several hours later in the 5800 block of South Rutherford, police said.

Guadalupe Chavez Dean

Chavez Dean, of the 5600 block of West Pershing Road in Cicero, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy found she died of multiple injuries from the crash and her death was ruled an accident.

Family members have set up a GoFundMe page to help offset the cost of a funeral.

The man was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

Brazel, who lives in the 5800 block of South Neva, was expected to appear in bond court Tuesday, according to police.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

WEEK IN REVIEW: April homicides numbers slow upward spiral, but there were still 5 people killed in Chicago

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 02 May 2016 16:00:02 -0500

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

At least five people were killed in gun violence in the final week of April in Chicago, ending a month in which homicides were up 3 percent from last year. And while that is not a good number, it did halt a trend of murders rising by large numbers over a year ago.

There were 36 murders this April, one more than in April 2015, the Chicago Police Department said Sunday. In the first four months of 2016, there have been 175 murders--51 in January, 43 in February, 45 in March and 36 in April, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

Reckless homicide charges were also filed in the death of a woman who fatally struck by a vehicle Saturday while crossing busy Archer Avenue near Midway Airport.

The final homicide of the month was a man killed he got into a shootout with a teenager Saturday afternoon in the South Side Washington Park neighborhood.

Deitrick Stogner, 36, and a 17-year-old boy were shooting at each other in the 100 block of West Garfield Boulevard about 1:20 p.m., according to police.

Stogner was shot in the chest and side, and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died an hour later, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 4600 block of South Prairie.

The teen was shot in the leg and was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said. Charges were pending against the boy on Monday.

Earlier Saturday, a 30-year-old man was fatally shot near his North Lawndale neighborhood home. Lamar Watson was standing outside just after 2 a.m. in the 2200 block of South Kolin when someone walked up and shot him in the head, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Watson was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 6:30 a.m., authorities said. He lived around the corner in the 2200 block of South Kirkland.

That shooting ended a string of nearly four full days without a fatal shooting in the city, one of the longest such spans of the year.

On Tuesday afternoon, Glenn Wheeler was killed and another man wounded in a shooting in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Wheeler, 24; and a 19-year-old were traveling in a vehicle at 4:37 p.m. in the 900 block of West Garfield when another vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, authorities said.

Wheeler suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 6:02 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 5200 block of South Wood.

The younger man was also taken to Stroger in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the back, police said.

Pierre Johnson was found shot to death Tuesday morning in the Brainerd neighborhood on the South Side. Officers responding to a call of a person shot about 6 a.m. in the 9000 block of South Aberdeen found the 27-year-old dead, according to police and the medical examiner's office.

Johnson, of the 2400 block of West 60th Street, suffered a gunshot wound to the head, according to the medical examiner's office, which identified him as Pierre Island.

In the week's first fatal shooting, a 16-year-old boy died and an 18-year-old was wounded in a shooting in Englewood on Monday afternoon. The two were outside in the 7300 block of South Sangamon about 4:45 p.m. when a male wearing a black hoodie shot them, police said.

The boy, identified as Davharea Wilson, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 7300 block of South Sangamon.

The man was shot in the shoulder and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was stabilized.

Reckless homicide and DUI charges were filed against the driver of an SUV that struck two pedestrians late Saturday in Garfield Ridge, leaving Guadalupe Chavez Dean dead.

Patrick J. Brazel, 27, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing injuries or death; reckless homicide; and aggravated DUI. About 10:45 p.m., the 42-year-old Chavez Dean and a man were walking north across Archer at Lavergne when they were both struck by a red Jeep, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

The driver, identified as Brazel, left the scene of the crash but was arrested several hours later.

Chavez, of the 5600 block of West Pershing Road in Cicero, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she died less than an hour later, according to the medical examiner’s office. The man was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, where his condition was stabilized.

Patrick J. Brazel | Homicide Watch Chicago

Man charged with reckless homicide for fatally striking Guadalupe Chavez Dean in Garfield Ridge hit-and-run

WEEK IN REVIEW: April homicides numbers slow upward spiral, but there were still 5 people killed in Chicago