Deonte M. Hoard | Homicide Watch Chicago

WEEK IN REVIEW: Five fatally shot, one stabbed to death throughout Chicago

Michael Lansu — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 09:51:22 -0500

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Five people were fatally shot and one person was stabbed to death last week in Chicago.

Four of the killings happened over the weekend, when at least 16 other people were shot and wounded.

The most recent slaying happened when police performing a well-being check found 25-year-old Berwyn resident Linda Soto shot multiple times and 17-year-old Steven Griffin dead with a gunshot wound to his mouth in an apparent murder-suicide in his home in the 6500 block of South Kimbark Avenue about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

On Saturday, 40-year-old Juan Martinez was stabbed while standing with his girlfriend in the 2000 block of West 47th Street in the Back of the Yards community about 4:10 p.m., authorities said.

Martinez, of the 4600 block of North Central Park Avenue, died at Mount Sinai Hospital less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On Saturday, 18-year-old Jonathan Ramirez and 22-year-old Santos Bueno were shot inside a vehicle parked in the 1000 block of West 18th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood about 1:30 a.m., authorities said.

Ramirez, of an unidentified home address, and Bueno, of the 7900 block of South Kilpatrick Avenue, were each shot multiple times and died at the scene, authorities said.

On Tuesday, 28-year-old Antinino Walker was shot when gunfire erupted during a home invasion in the 8000 block of South Dante Avenue in the Avalon Park community about 1:20 p.m., authorities said.

Prosecutors said Walker and two acquaintances went to the home to collect money from a dice game when gunfire erupted and he was shot in the back.

Walker, 28, of the 6500 block of South Champlain Avenue, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County hours later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

One Walker's acquaintances, 21-year-old Isreal Taylor, was charged with his murder. The other acquaintance has not yet been charged.

The killings started when 17-year-old Deonte Hoard was shot in the chest while walking in the 10500 block of South Yates Avenue about 7:20 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

Hoard, of the 10500 block of South Oglesby Avenue, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Hoard was a senior at Urban Prep-Englewood, where he had been a member of the basketball and track teams, school officials said. He had been accepted to several colleges.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 55 Chicago deaths in 2015 a homicide.

Comment of the Day: "I wish I got to know him"

Michael Lansu — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 16:29:00 -0600

Urban Prep-Englewood student Deonte Hoard was fatally shot March 2 in the South Deering neighborhood. Reader "naqee" posted this about him:

I go go to school with him I never really knew him I wish I got to know him

Urban Prep-Englewood student Deonte Hoard killed in South Deering shooting

Michael Lansu — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 11:19:42 -0600

Deonte Hoard / Photo from Facebook

BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN AND MICHAEL LANSU
Chicago Sun-Times

Deonte Hoard waved goodbye to the Urban Prep-Englewood boys basketball team Monday afternoon and then headed home, a coach said.

Hoard, a 17-year-old senior, was a member of the team until December, when he was dismissed for eligibility issues.

Hoard was walking in the 10500 block of South Yates Avenue at 7:20 p.m. Monday when gunfire erupted from a black SUV, authorities said.

Hoard, of the 10500 block of South Oglesby Avenue, was shot in the chest and died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, which ruled his death a homicide.

Hoard’s former teammates were warming up on the court at St. Laurence High School when he was shot. Urban Prep-Englewood went on to beat Ag. Science in the Class 3A state playoffs.

“It’s awful,” said Urban Prep-Englewood coach Fred Cleveland. “We saw him when he was leaving. He was waving at us. He was on his way home. [If he was still on the team] he would have been playing last night. [The coaches] found out at halftime but we didn’t tell the team until after the game.”

Urban Prep-Englewood had to turn around and play on Tuesday as well. They lost to Vocational 70-47 in the Class 3A regional semifinals. Senior Dillon Howard, a close friend of Hoard, said it was difficult to play.

“I didn’t want to do anything today,” Howard said. “I just wanted to lay in bed and think about our memories. I couldn’t stop crying so I figured I needed to go play to take my mind off of it.”

Kristopher Hayes, another former teammate and senior at Urban Prep-Englewood, said Hoard had been accepted at Alabama A&M.

“We both got in there,” Hayes said. “So we talked about keeping our brotherhood together in college. [UP-Englewood] is like a family so today was hard on everyone, all the kids and the teachers.”

Urban Prep founder and CEO Tim King said in a statement that Hoard attended the school’s Englewood campus.

“He was one of my favorite kids in the building, he was tough,” Urban Prep-Englewood assistant coach Dwayne Carter said. “This Friday he was supposed to get his red and gold tie.”

Hoard was the first Urban Prep student to be killed while enrolled in one of the schools. The network of all-boys public schools was founded in 2002, according to the charter schools’ website.

Hoard was a member of the track team and had been admitted to several colleges, King said.

“He kept trying to get back on the [basketball] team over and over again,” Carter said. “It just never worked out.”

Hoard was scheduled to receive the ceremonial tie Friday at the “On to the Next One Ceremony” for seniors who had been admitted to college.

“We will remember a young man full of promise and potential, well-liked by teachers and friends, and loved by his family,” King said.

Urban Prep will be “providing support” to Hoard’s family and offer grief counseling to students and staff, King said.

“He was just a friendly person,” said Brandon Sparkman, a teammate and friend of Hoard’s at Urban Prep-Englewood. “He was the type of guy that just never got mad about anything.”

Police said a 23-year-old man was wounded in the shooting and was treated at Advocate Trinity Hospital for a graze wound to his head.

No one has been charged in the murder. Area South detectives are investigating.

Hoard “was really funny, he just had a goofy personality,” Howard said. “He was our leading scorer sophomore year, so he could play too.”