Albert S. Turnage | Homicide Watch Chicago

Family: Albert Turnage fatally shot in Uptown on son's 6th birthday

Michael Lansu — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 16:32:22 -0500

Albert Turnage / Submitted photo

BY CHANTELLE NAVARRO
Homicide Watch Chicago

Albert Turnage talked about going back to school because he wanted to be a positive role model for his son, his former foster parent said.

Turnage will never get the chance to watch his son grow up after the 23-year-old was fatally shot in the 1700 block of West Touhy Avenue on his son's sixth birthday, police and family said.

Officers responding to a call of a person shot found Turnage and another man in an alley about 4:10 a.m. Feb. 25, authorities said.

Turnage, of the 1700 block of West Greenleaf Avenue, was shot in the chest and died at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston about two hours later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The other man, 30, was shot multiple times and was treated at Saint Francis Hospital, police said.

"I know for a fact that it was not anything that was targeted against him, he was not in a gang," said Turnage's foster parent Katie Cangemi. "I do think that it was an act of violence related to the problems in Rogers Park."

Cangemi met Turnage when he was just 11 years old, and provided emotional support during the boy's battle with cancer, she said.

"He was in need of somebody to be with him through chemo everyday," Cangemi said. "It didn’t seem right that a kid with cancer should go through that alone."

Cangemi said the two would play "I Spy" and watch movies while he was undergoing treatment.

"He let me into his life at a really vulnerable time," Cangemi said. "When somebody is facing possible death, that’s when we really became family."

Turnage had several surgeries, and doctors were amazed at how he kept a positive attitude and continued to tell jokes and smile, she said.

The cancer was in remission when Cangemi got her foster parent license while Turnage was in eighth grade, she said.

"I just knew that being bounced around the system ... wasn’t good for him" Cangemi said. "I feel like what he needed was a home, and he trusted me enough to provide that ... we were already [like] family."

Turnage was excited to move in with Cangemi and called her "fairy godmother," she said.

Albert Turnage with his son, Jayden / Submitted photo

Turnage eventually dropped out of high school to help raise his son, Jayden, Cangemi said. He eventually went back to school and earned his diploma because he wanted to be a positive role model for his son. He had recently talked about going back to school to become a welder, she said.

"I’ve never seen a father so involved -- Jayden got so many hugs and kisses," Cangemi said. "There was no doubt for his love in his son."

After Turnage left the Department of Children and Family Services system, he remained close with Cangemi and the two would often meet up for pizza, she said.

Cangemi and Turange’s family created an online fundraiser (http://www.gofundme.com/AlbertforJayden) to ensure an education in Jayden’s future.

Nobody has been charged for the killing. Area South detectives are investigating.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Four shot death throughout Chicago

Michael Lansu — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 09:36:41 -0600

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Four men were shot to death throughout Chicago last week.

All four killings happened last Wednesday, which was then followed by one of the city's longest stretch without a murder so far this year.

The killing started when police found 60-year-old Bernard Monroe shot in the head near his home in the 11400 block of South Prairie Avenue about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said. Monroe was declared dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

In the Roseland neighborhood, 23-year-old Derrius Drakes was shot in the back in the 11300 block of South Parnell Avenue about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

Drakes, of the 200 block of West 112th Street, took himself to Roseland Community Hospital, where he died less than 15 minutes later, authorities said.

In the Austin community, 20-year-old Demarcus Nelson was shot multiple times while sitting in a vehicle in the 4600 block of West Maypole Avenue about 3:10 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

Nelson, of the 700 block of North St. Louis Avenue, died at Mount Sinai Hospital less than an hour later, authorities said. Two other men inside the vehicle were also wounded, police said.

The killing started early Wednesday when police found two men shot in an alley in the 1700 block of West Touhy Avenue about 4:10 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

Albert S. Turnage, 23, of the 1700 block of West Greenleaf Avenue, was shot in the chest and died at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston about two hours later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

The other man was shot multiple times and survived, police said.

On Sunday, Chicago Police announced that there was one less murder this February compared to last February, but there have still been more killings during the first two months of this year than last year after a violent January.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 49 Chicago deaths in 2015 a homicide.

Albert Turnage killed in Roger Park shooting

Michael Lansu — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 11:15:32 -0600

Albert S. Turnage was killed in a Rogers Park neighborhood shooting that left another man critically wounded early Wednesday.

Officers responding to a call of a person shot in the 1700 block of West Touhy Avenue found two men wounded in an alley about 4:10 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

Turnage, 23, was shot in the chest and the 30-year-old man had been shot in the arm, back and shoulder, authorities said.

Turnage, of the 1700 block of West Greenleaf Avenue, died at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston about two hours later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The other man was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in critical condition, police said.

Turnage, who had a 6-year-old son, recently got a job working at the Georgia Nut Company in Skokie, his former foster parent, Katie Cangemi, told DNAinfo Chicago.

Nobody has been charged for the killing.

Area North detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire