WEEK IN REVIEW: At least 14 more killed in Chicago as city on track to repeat last year's homicide surge

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 15:00:47 -0500

By JEFF MAYES
Homicide Watch Chicago

The victims ranged in age from a 15-year-old boy shot death in Hermosa to a 75-year-old, found with fatal stab wounds after a fire in his home in Portage Park. It was another bloody week in Chicago, where at least 14 people died from violence, including a man shot to death by his own father.

The death toll for the year has reached at least 163 people killed in homicides through April 10. That is just one less that April 10 of 2016, when the city recorded its 164th homicide en route to a toal of nearly 800, the most in at least 20 years.

The week's youngest victim was 15-year-old Diego Villada, who died Monday morning, two days after he was shot on the Northwest Side. The boy was in an alley about 12:35 p.m. April 1 in the 2100 block of North Tripp when he was confronted by two males, one of whom fired multiple shots, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Villada, who lives in the same neighborhood, suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9:45 a.m. Monday, authorities said.

Two other teenage boys were also killed last week. A 16-year-old was killed and a 19-year-old man wounded in a shooting Wednesday afternoon in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side. They were walking out of a store in the 1300 block of South Lawndale at 1:06 p.m. when they heard shots, according to police. Kahari Stovall, the 16-year-old, was shot in the lower back and abdomen; and the man was shot in the knee, police said. Both were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where Stovall was pronounced dead at 3:40 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the South Shore neighborhood. The man was listed in good condition, police said.

And a 17-year-old boy was killed in an Englewood neighborhood shooting that also left a man wounded late Tuesday on the South Side. Ronnie Tyrone Smith Jr. was standing in an alley with a 20-year-old man about 10:50 p.m. in the 5600 block of South Elizabeth when another male walked up and fired shots, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Smith, who lived in the same neighborhood, suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and leg, and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later, authorities said. The man was shot in the leg and his condition was stabilized.

The week's oldest victim was found inside his own burning Northwest Side home. Emergency crews responding to a fire in the basement of a home Friday morning in Norwood Park found 75-year-old Loren Flensborg unresponsive. Crews were called just before 6 a.m. to the 5000 block of North Oak Park, according to the Chicago Fire Department. Flensborg was found in the living room and was taken to Presence Resurrection Medical Center, where he died at 6:35 a.m. An autopsy Saturday found he died of multiple sharp force injuries and his death was ruled a homicide. The fire appeared to have started in the basement.

The week's final homicide was a 24-year-old man fatally shot Sunday night in the East Side neighborhood on the Far South Side. Alfonso Juan Calderon Jr. was standing in a vacant lot about 8:15 p.m. in the 10700 block of South Green Bay when he was approached by two males, who fired shots and ran off, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Calderon suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his chest, arm and hand; and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. He lived in the Hegewisch neighborhood on the Far South Side.
Also SUnday night, a man was fatally shot in the Riverdale neighborhood on the Far South Side. Dorian Tompkins, 20, was standing outside about 8 p.m. in the 13100 block of South Langley when several males walked up and fired shots, striking him in the chest, according to police and the medical examiner's office. Tompkins was pronounced dead at the scene. His home address was not known.
A man was shot to death during an argument with his father over who was going to walk the dog Sunday morning in the Burnside neighborhood on the South Side. Donald Johnson, 22; and his 43-year-old father shot each other about 8:20 a.m. during an altercation in the 9100 block of South Woodlawn, according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi and the medical examiner’s office. Both men suffered multiple gunshot wounds and were taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said. Johnson, who lived in the neighborhood, was pronounced dead at 9:16 a.m. The older man was listed in critical condition. Two weapons were recovered at the scene, and police said no charges will likely be filed.
A 44-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday morning in the Ravenswood neighborhood on the Northwest Side. Adam Salas was driving in an alley about 5:55 a.m. in the 4800 block of North Rockwell when someone came from around the corner and shot him in the chest, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Salas, of the West Town neighborhood, was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
A 21-year-old man died Sunday morning—two weeks after being shot in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. Officers responding to a call of a person shot found Eric Kellum with a gunshot wound to his head about 2:45 a.m. March 26 in the 7000 block of South Winchester Avenue, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Kellum was a passenger in a vehicle when another vehicle pulled alongside his and someone inside fired shots, police said. He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Kellum, who lived in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the Far South Side, was pronounced dead there at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. An autopsy Wednesday found he died of complications from multiple gunshot wounds.
An 18-year-old man was fatally shot Saturday evening in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side. Shane Collier was in the 1200 block of West 81st Street about 5 p.m. when someone fired multiple times at him from inside a vehicle, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Collier, who lived in the same neighborhood, was shot in the chest and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died two hours later.
A 21-year-old man was fatally shot Friday evening in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Officers responded to a call of shots fired at 6:48 p.m. in the 4900 block of South Kostner and learned Carlos Rosas had already taken himself to Mount Sinai Hospital, police and the medical examiner’s office said. He was shot in his chest and neck, and was pronounced dead there at 7:12 p.m., authorities said. He lived a few blocks from the scene of the shooting.
A man was killed and five people wounded in a shooting Friday afternoon near a store in the Austin neighborhood. At 1:38 p.m., a gray SUV pulled up and opened fire on the group in the 5600 block of West Lake Street, according to police. Byron McKinney Jr., 24, was hit multiple times and was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he died at 2:13 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the neighborhood.
Also wounded were a 17-year-old boy shot in the leg; a 30-year-old man shot in the foot, and a 46-year-old man shot in the buttocks, police said. Two other men, ages 24 and 32, suffered gunshot wounds to the thigh. They were all listed in good condition.
A 28-year-old man was shot to death Thursday afternoon in the South Chicago neighborhood. Arsennial Allen was standing in front of a store at 3:22 p.m. in the 2300 block of East 83rd Street when a gunman walked up and shot him in the head, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Allen, a South Shore resident, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at 5:05 p.m.
A man was shot to death Monday morning in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, police said. At 11:57 a.m., 47-year-old George Dehart was in the 1300 block of South Karlov when two other males walked up and fired shots. He suffered two gunshot wounds to the chest and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:34 p.m., authorities said. He was a North Lawndale resident.

Byron McKinney Jr. killed, five other men wounded when gunman opens fire into crowd outside Austin store

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 11:58:13 -0500

By SAM CHARLES and LUKE WILUSZ
Chicago Sun-Times

Six people were shot, one fatally, near the intersection of Lake and Central in Austin Friday afternoon. | Sam Charles/Sun-Times

Byron McKinney Jr. was killed and five other people were wounded in a shooting Friday afternoon near a store in the Austin neighborhood that the local alderman says has been known to harbor “illicit activity.”

At 1:38 p.m., a gray SUV pulled up and opened fire on a group in the 300 block of North Central Avenue, according to Chicago Police.

McKinney, 24, was hit multiple times in the torso and arm, and was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he died at 2:13 p.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He lived in the neighborhood.

Also wounded were a 17-year-old boy shot in the left leg; a 20-year-old man shot in the right foot; and a 46-year-old man shot in the buttocks, police said. Two other men, ages 24 and 29, suffered gunshot wounds to the thigh. They were all listed in good condition at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park.

The shooting at the busy intersection attracted dozens of onlookers, among them Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th).

The alderman, a former Chicago Police sergeant, said the shooting occurred just outside a store known to harbor illegal activities.

“We need resources,” Taliaferro said. “We need jobs available. We need educational opportunities available. Especially, we need a police presence.”

“Many of my constituents are in fear of their own safety,” he added. “Ultimately, we’ve got to reach the people that are shooting, and that we’re not doing.”

The crime scene took up the entire intersection of Corcoran and Central, and police blocked traffic on Central between Fulton and Lake.

A glass CTA bus shelter on the west side of Central had been shattered, and at least a dozen evidence markers were set in the street, identifying spent bullet casings.

Several people observed the scene from the platform of the Central Green Line station.

Paul Medlin, 68, was briefly chided by an officer as he stepped under the crime-scene tape trying to get to his nearby apartment. Medlin, a Vietnam veteran who has lived near the scene of the shooting for 12 years, said violence in the area is “just unreal.”

“Life don’t mean s— to these young boys,” said Medlin, who just finished a shift working as a cashier at a nearby liquor store.

Byron McKinney Jr. | Homicide Watch Chicago

WEEK IN REVIEW: At least 14 more killed in Chicago as city on track to repeat last year's homicide surge

Byron McKinney Jr. killed, five other men wounded when gunman opens fire into crowd outside Austin store