Eric Woods | Homicide Watch Chicago

Alexander Scott gets 55 years for fatally shooting Eric Woods in 2014 in West Garfield Park

Jeff Mayes — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 12:51:30 -0600

Alexander Scott | Cook County sheriff's office

By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

A man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Eric Woods last year in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.

Alexander Scott, 31, was found guilty on Feb. 12 of first-degree murder after a bench trial before Judge Charles Burns, according to Cook County court records.

Scott confronted the 25-year-old Woods at Woods' home in the 900 block of South Springfield Avenue and shot him in the chest on Feb. 27, 2014, authorities said at the time. Woods died at 5:02 p.m. that day at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Eric Woods

Scott was arrested later that day at his home in the 2200 block of North Campbell Avenue, authorities said.

Judge Burns sentenced Scott to 55 years in prison during a hearing Monday, according to court records. He will receive credit for 635 days served in the Cook County Jail, where he has been held without bond since his arrest.

PHOTO ESSAY: Winter memorials mark the deaths of Chicago murder victims

Chase DiFeliciantonio — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 16:30:44 -0500

BY CHASE DIFELICIANTONIO
Homicide Watch Chicago

A balloon sways in the wind. An empty liquor bottle rests on the pavement. Flowers wilt in the January snow. These are the memorials for some of Chicago's murder victims.

The memorials are temporary places where grieving family and friends can share words and photos to celebrate the victim's life.

Some memorials are erected at the scene of a crime, while others are built outside the victim's home, but all are reminders of lives taken by violence.

Alex Anderson

Tramian Barnes allegedly fatally shot 19-year-old Alex Anderson in January in the Portage Park neighborhood. After being shot, Anderson stumbled home and said, “Tre Shot me.” Anderson died the next day and became the 15th homicide victim of 2014.

Photo from Alex Anderson memorial / Photo by Chase DiFeliciantonio

A memorial for Anderson featuring candles and liquor bottles was created near a snowy sidewalk outside his home.

Photos from Alex Anderson memorial / Photo by Chase DiFeliciantonio

Ronald Hayes

Ronald Hayes, 17, was fatally shot in February while shoveling snow by his Near West Side home, family said. His mother, Cathy Booker, wore her son's Banner West Academy school ID around her neck as she recalled his love for basketball and his teenage appetite for tacos and Italian beef.

Booker shows Hayes' school ID / Photo by Chase DiFeliciantonio

Hayes’ memorial was created where he was gunned down and featured stuffed animals and flowers struggling to survive in the February snow. A single blue balloon swayed silhouetted against the sky -- an exclamation point marking the city’s 31st homicide of 2014.

Photos from Ronald memorial / Photo by Chase DiFeliciantonio

Javan Boyd

Javan Boyd, 28, was working his night job as a livery driver when at least two gunmen fatally shot him just blocks from U.S. Cellular Field in February. His aunt, Trina Boyd, said he was a hard working man who loved to play basketball and spend time with his 11-year-old daughter.

The memorials often look colorful from a distance, but up close nicknames and expressions of love are written in black ink on a blank white board.

Photos from Javan Boyd memorial / Photo by Chase DiFeliciantonio

Eric Woods

Alexander Scott allegedly fatally shot 25-year-old Eric Woods at his West Garfield Park home in late February during a domestic dispute.

Eric Woods / Family Photo

Mourners stood in front of the home and wrote “forever you live thru” and “you live through us” on a message board posted outside. A trail of blood spattered the stairs and sidewalk in front of the home and red roses had been scattered across the scene.

Photos from Eric Woods memorial / Photo by Chase DiFeliciantonio

Comment of the Day: "Another young man's life gone too soon due to senseless violence"

Chase DiFeliciantonio — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 15:46:59 -0500

Eric Woods was gunned down in his West Garfield Park home on February 27th. Commenter "Mz C" posted this about him:

Please people stop killing each other, Another young man life gone too soon due to senseless violence. We need to be apart of the change we want to see in this world people. Now another mother with out her son, a daughter without her dad and a sibling with out their brother. SMH, Tired of loosing people to violence.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Eight shot dead throughout the city

Michael Lansu — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 09:08:42 -0600

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Eight people were shot to death throughout Chicago last week.

The week started with four consecutive days without a murder, but ended in a flurry of gun violence. Three people were shot dead on Friday, two on Saturday and two more on Sunday.

Seven of the killings happened on the South Side, including two in the Auburn Gresham community.

The most recent murder happened in Auburn Gresham when Brion M. Dowdell allegedly shot 18-year-old Deandre Barber on a sidewalk in the 8000 block of South Elizabeth Street about 2:40 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Baber, of the 7300 block of South Winchester Avenue, was shot in the head and died at the scene, authorities said.

Dowdell was charged with murder and is expected in court later Monday.

In the West Pullman neighborhood, 29-year-old Maurice Coleman was fatally shot while walking with a friend in the 400 block of West 117th Street just after midnight Sunday, authorities said.

Coleman, of the 11000 block of South Lowe Avenue, was shot in the head and chest and died about 20 minutes later at Roseland Community Hospital, authorities said.

On Saturday, 66-year-old Herbert Goode was fatally shot in the chest during an apparent robbery about 2 p.m. in the 2300 block of West 57th Street in the Gage Park neighborhood, authorities said.

Goode died less than an hour later at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

In the New City community, 18-year-old Michael Munoz was walking in the 1700 block of West 46th Street when a gunman exited a van and fired at him multiple times about 12:40 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. The shooter then got back into the van, which drove away, police said.

Munoz, of the 6000 block of South Kolmar Avenue, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County less than an hour later, according to the medical examiner's office.

About 2:45 p.m. Friday, 53-year-old Cleotha Brooks was found in his home in the 0 to 100 block of East 104th Place with a fatal gunshot wound to the face, authorities said. An autopsy ruled the death a homicide.

In the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, 34-year-old Robert Udrow was shot in the chest and legs just after 9 a.m. Friday in the 8000 block of South Sangamon Street, authorities said.

Udrow, of the 5300 block of North Linder Avenue, died about two hours later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the medical examiner's office.

In the Back of the Yards neighborhood, 46-year-old Theresa Spearman was fatally shot during a domestic dispute that also left her 25-year-old daughter wounded in the 5400 block of South Laflin Avenue about 12:05 a.m. Friday, authorities said.

The daughter got into an argument with her boyfriend, and Spearman attempted to intervene, authorities said. The boyfriend shot both women and fled.

Spearman, also of the 5400 block of South Laflin Street, died at Stroger Hospital, according to the medical examiner's office. The daughter was shot multiple times and was initially taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, police said.

The killings started Thursday afternoon when Alexander Scott allegedly shot Eric Woods inside his West Garfield Park home.

Scott, 29, allegedly confronted Woods inside his home in the 900 block of South Springfield Avenue and shot him in the chest about 4:20 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.

Woods, 25, died at Mount Sinai Hospital less than an hour later, according to the medical examiner's office. Scott, of the 2200 block of North Campbell Avenue, was charged with first-degree murder and ordered held without bond.

Overall, the medical examiner's office has ruled 49 Chicago deaths in 2014 homicides -- including two people killed by police. Chicago Police, which counts murders different, has ruled at least three of those deaths involuntary manslaughter or justified self-defense.

Alexander Scott charged with murder for allegedly shooting Eric Woods in West Garfield Park

Michael Lansu — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 12:15:09 -0600

Alexander Scott / Photo from Chicago Police

Alexander Scott has been charged for allegedly fatally shooting Eric Woods Thursday afternoon in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.

Scott, 29, was charged Friday with one count of first-degree murder, police said.

Scott allegedly confronted Woods in a home in the 900 block of South Springfield Avenue and shot him in the chest, authorities said.

Woods, who lived at the home, died at Mount Sinai Hospital at 5:02 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Scott was arrested about 7 p.m. Thursday at his home in the 2200 block of North Campbell Avenue, police said.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Eric Woods fatally shot in West Garfield Park home

Michael Lansu — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 08:49:14 -0600

Photos outside the home where Eric Woods was killed / By Chase DiFeliciantonio

Eric Woods was shot to death Thursday afternoon in his West Garfield Park home.

The 25-year-old man was shot in the chest about 4:20 p.m. at his home in the 900 bock of South Springfield Avenue, authorities said.

Woods was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:02 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

By Friday afternoon, a memorial of signs, candles and flowers were set up above a blood trail outside the home.

As word of Woods' death spread, friends took to social media to post condolences:

R.I.P Eric Woods, bless your soul, your family and your loved ones and most importantly god bless your daughter

— Silent but deadly♋️ (@Angelz_dyme) February 28, 2014

Eric Woods RIP you will be missed

— Michael Kalzoni (@killakaligcm) February 27, 2014

Woods is the first murder in Chicago since Michael Redmond was shot Sunday in the 200 block of North Latrobe Avenue.

Detectives are questioning a person of interest in the killing, but nobody has been charged for the murder as of Friday afternoon, police said.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media