Gerald Calhoun | Homicide Watch Chicago

Family: Gerald Calhoun turning life around for his children

Michael Lansu — Thu, 15 May 2014 16:10:33 -0500

Gerald Calhoun / Photo from Facebook

BY SUSAN DU
Homicide Watch Chicago

Gerald Calhoun worked as a janitor to try and make a better life for his two children.

Calhoun, 29, was killed in a May 5 drive-by shooting less than a block from his Englewood home, authorities said.

Calhoun and a 35-year-old man were traveling in a vehicle south on Morgan Street when a white car pulled alongside them and an unknown shooter opened fire near 59th Street, authorities said.

Calhoun was struck in the chest and died less than an hour later at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The 35-year-old was shot in the leg and survived.

His mother, Darlene Calhoun, remembered her youngest child as a man focused on changing his life to raise his children. He was a good father who always took his children wherever they wanted to go, she said.

Calhoun worked a number of odd jobs, including working at McDonald's and cleaning offices, Darlene Calhoun said. He had ambitions to go back to school and eventually start his own janitorial business.

Court records indicate Gerald Calhoun had been previously charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated assault of a peace officer as well as manufacturing and delivering cannabis.

Gerald Calhoun’s father, Lee Brown, blamed his son’s various stints in prison on insufficient rehabilitative training in prison. Yet Gerald Calhoun was turning his life around in recent years, Brown said.

"When he got out he was working and doing OK. He had his own car, apartment and everything," Brown said.

He described his son as intelligent, a lot of fun and helpful around the house. Brown's last memory of his son is a brief greeting one morning before he headed off to work.

"This stuff is whacked up," Brown said. "I don't understand why gangs gotta be like they are, they can't get jobs out there for these people. It's simple. If you get jobs, they won't be hurting each other. They won't be shooting people. You need YMCAs, you need parks down here like you had them when I was coming up."

Darlene Calhoun said her son loved basketball growing up and never stopped playing pickup at the courts near his house. He was a fan of the Bears and the Bulls. The most important things in his life were his kids.

"I can't keep my mind focused on him, because that's going to get me down and crying all night and I don't wanna get like that," Darlene Calhoun said. "That was my baby. He was funny, outgoing. He made me laugh every day."

WEEK IN REVIEW: Eight shot dead throughout Chicago

Michael Lansu — Mon, 12 May 2014 10:01:19 -0500

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Six men and two women were fatally shot in Chicago last week.

Four of the murders happened over the weekend, when 18 other people were wounded by gunfire, authorities said.

The most recent murder happened when 15-year-old Vaughn Holeman was fatally shot about 3:40 p.m. Sunday in the 200 block of West 116th Street, authorities said. Detectives are questioning a juvenile for Holeman's murder, police said.

Holeman, of the 400 block of West 115th Street, died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On Saturday, 25-year-old Xavier Tripp was walking on a sidewalk in the 4100 block of West Adams Street when a vehicle pulled up and at least one person got out and shot him about 1:35 p.m., authorities said.

Tripp, of the 1500 block of North Long Avenue, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the Little Village neighborhood, 34-year-old Cesar Nieves was fatally shot in the 4100 block of West 28th Street at 3:24 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Nieves, of the 2800 block of South Kedvale Avenue, was dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Friday, Summer Moore was shot and killed in the 11400 block of South Aberdeen Street, apparently by a bullet meant for someone else, according to the police and relatives.

The 37-year-old mother of three and other relatives had gathered at an aunt’s home in Morgan Park to celebrate a teenage relative’s prom send-off, family said. Moore, of the 3100 block of West Marquette Road, was shot in the chest and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said.

In the Calumet Heights neighborhood, 22-year-old William Lomax was fatally shot while traveling in a car in the 9300 block of South Stony Island Avenue about 11:40 a.m. Friday, authorities said.

Lomax, of the 10000 block of South Yates Avenue, was driven to a restaurant in the 8800 block of South Stony Island Avenue, where emergency crews took him to Stroger Hospital, authorities said. He died about an hour later.

On Tuesday, 18-year-old Jajuan Porter was shot dead in the 7900 block of South Vincennes Avenue, authorities said. A 26-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting.

Family said Porter was inside a restaurant when he was shot. Emergency crews found Porter, of the 600 block of East 131 Street, dead on the street, authorities said.

On the West Side, 20-year-old Chasteddy Blocker was shot in the 1500 block of South Central Park Avenue about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. A 34-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting.

Blocker, 20, who lived on the block, was shot in the back and died at Mount Sinai Hospital a short time later, authorities said.

The killings started about 7:30 p.m. Monday when 29-year-old Gerlad Calhoun and a 35-year-old man were shot while riding in a vehicle near South Morgan and West 59th streets, authorities said.

Calhoun, of the 700 block of West 59th Street, died from a gunshot wound to the chest less than an hour later at Stroger Hospital, authorities said.

Nobody has been charged in any of the murders.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 125 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including six people killed by police.

Additionally, the state’s attorney’s office filed first-degree murder charges against a speeding motorist who killed an off-duty police officer while trying to flee police even though the autopsy ruled the death an accident.

Chicago Police, which counts murders different, have ruled at least eight of the homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.

Gerald Calhoun fatally shot in Englewood

Michael Lansu — Tue, 06 May 2014 12:53:47 -0500

Gerald Calhoun was killed and another man was injured in a Monday night shooting in the Englewood neighborhood.

Calhoun and the 35-year-old man were in a vehicle traveling south on Morgan Street when a white car pulled up near 59th Street and someone inside opened fire about 7:30 p.m., authorities said.

Calhoun, 29, of the 700 block of West 59th Street, was shot in the chest and died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County at 8:20 p.m., authorities said.

A 35-year-old in the vehicle was shot in the right leg and taken to Saint Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center in good condition.

Nobody has been charged in the murder.

Area South detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire