James Gill | Homicide Watch Chicago

WEEK IN REVIEW: At least 8 die from violence in Chicago, including two teenage boys, and two brothers

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 12:30:16 -0600

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

At least eight people were killed in Chicago violence last week, including two brothers and a pair of teenage boys, all of whom died after a pair of shootings on the West Side.

The boys were killed in a drive-by shooting that also left a 65-year-old woman was wounded Tuesday afternoon in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

Sixteen-year-old Malik McNeese and a 17-year-old Stevie Jefferson were on a sidewalk about noon in the 3400 block of West Fulton when a black SUV pulled up. Someone in the vehicle opened fire, hitting the younger boy in the head, back and arm; and the older boy in the head, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

McNeese was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead; while Jefferson died after being taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, authorities said.

A stray bullet went through the front door of a home on the block, hitting the 65-year-old woman in the leg. She was taken to Mount Sinai in good condition, police said.

About 12 hours later, the brothers were fatally shot in the Homan Square neighborhood Tuesday night. Officers responding at 11:13 p.m. to a call of shots fired in the 3200 block of West Lexington found the pair lying in the street, police said.

Simmieon McGruder, 23, was shot in the head and left arm, and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:52 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. His brother, 25-year-old Simmie McGruder, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and died at Mount Sinai at 5:13 a.m. the next morning.
A 31-year-old man who worked as finance manager at Chicago Tech Academy High School was found shot to death Saturday morning just a block away from the school in the University Village neighborhood.
Jason "Jay" Goodfriend was found when officers responded to a report of a man slumped over inside a running vehicle about 9:50 a.m. in the 1300 block of West Hastings, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Goodfriend had suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:07 a.m., authorities said.
A 33-year-old man died Friday, nearly two weeks after being wounded in a mass shooting Christmas night in the East Chatham neighborhood that left another pair of brothers dead. Three men were killed and four others wounded in the shooting, which happened about 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 25, police said.
A group of people were gathered on the porch of a home in the 8600 block of South Maryland for a holiday party when someone wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt walked out from an alley and opened fire before running away.

Steven Freeman, of the 7600 block of South Normal, was shot in the body and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 1:53 a.m. Friday, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Also killed in that shooting were James Gill, 18, who was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene; and his brother Roy Gill III, 21, who was shot multiple times and died at Christ Medical Center, authorities said. A 35-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was also taken to Christ, where he was listed in critical condition, police said. A 27-year-old man and 21-year-old woman both suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and were taken to Stroger, where their conditions were stabilized. A 39-year-old man shot in the foot later and was in good condition, police said.
A 36-year-old man was shot to death late Thursday in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. Someone walked up to Dante J. Swanson about 11:15 p.m. as he sat in the driver’s seat of a car parked in the 800 block of East 46th Street, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. The suspect fired repeatedly, striking Swanson several times across the body. He was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Swanson worked as a delivery driver for FedEx, and had just ended a work shift when he was shot.
The week's first homicide occurred when an off-duty Chicago Police officer fatally shot a man on the Northwest Side after an argument Monday morning, officials said. The medical examiner’s office identified the slain man as 38-year-old Jose Nieves, who was shot several times though did not have a weapon, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the 57-year-old cop, assigned to the mass transit unit, does not live in the area but knew the person he shot from another “confrontation a few weeks ago.”

An “altercation” between the men escalated about 9:30 a.m. in front of a Nieves' residence in the 2500 block of North Lowell, and the officer shot him multiple times, according to a police statement. Nieves was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he died less than an hour later.

The police department and Independent Police Review Authority have opened simultaneous investigations into the shooting. The department announced Tuesday that the officer has been stripped of his police powers.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Mass shooting at South Side party caps bloody holiday weekend, bringing week's toll to 14

Jeff Mayes — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 11:00:08 -0600

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

The week started out with longest period of time without a fatal shooting in the city all year, but it ended with bloody holiday weekend that ended with at least 14 people dead from violence in Chicago.

The city saw a peaceful period from early Sunday morning until Thursday afternoon, a period of over 4 1/2 days without a fatal shooting. Then came the Christmas holiday, which was anything but peaceful, with at least 11 people killed and dozens of others shot.

When it was all over, 14 people were killed last week, bring the year's total to over 780, including about a dozen who died this year after being shot or assaulted in previous years, according to Sun-Times Wire record.

The horrific holiday weekend ended with a mass shooting in the East Chatham neighborhood that left two bothers dead and five other people wounded, two of them critically.

It happened Christmas night about 9:20 p.m., when people were gathered for a family party on the porch of a home in the 8600 block of South Maryland. Someone wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt walked out from an adjacent alley and opened fire, according to Chicago Police. The shooter then ran away.

James Gill, 18, was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His older brother, 21-year-old Roy Gill III, was shot multiple times and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

A 35-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was in critical condition, while a fourth male, whose age was not known, was shot in the body and was also in critical condition, police said. A 27-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman both suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and were stabilized. A 39-year-old man shot in the foot later showed up at a hospital and was listed in good condition, police said.

Another man was fatally on Christmas in the South Shore neighborhood, police said. About 4:28 p.m., police responded to a call of a person shot in the 2800 block of East 79th Street and found 25-year-old Jamil Farley with gunshot wounds to the back, leg and head, according to police and the medical examiner's office. He was taken to South Shore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A few hours earlier, a man was shot to death in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side. At 1:45 p.m., 22-year-old Jerry Thomas was in the 4400 block of West Chicago Avenue when a black truck drove by and someone inside fired shots, striking him multiple times, according to police and the medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Christmas morning, a man was fatally shot in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the Far South Side. Officers responded to a call of a person shot about 9:50 a.m. and found the 24-year-old in the 1100 block of West 112th Place with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. David McClure, who lived on the same block, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner’s office.
A man was shot to death earlier Christmas morning in the Gage Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. At 1:33 a.m., the 18-year-old was driving north in the 5300 block of South Francisco when shots rang out and he was struck in the neck and back, according to police. Fabian Ortega was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Christmas morning got off to violent start when a man was shot to death in the South Shore neighborhood. The 21-year-old was found at 12:49 a.m. lying on the ground in the backyard of a home in the 2600 block of East 76th Street, according to police. Niko L. Walker had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A man was fatally shot Saturday night in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. At 8:54 p.m., the 30-year-old man was found unresponsive in a backyard in the 8900 block of South Hermitage, according to police. Nathaniel L. Edwards was shot on the left side and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, the medical examiner’s office said.
A man who had been shot Monday afternoon in the West Side Austin neighborhood died five days later on Christmas Eve. Demetrius L. Newell, 28, was in the 1500 block of North Mayfield at 12:32 p.m. Monday when someone walked up and fired shots, striking him in the chest, according to authorities. The shooter ran away. Newell, who lived on the same block, was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead Christmas Eve at 4:05 p.m.
A man who was shot to death earlier on Christmas Eve in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Just after midnight, officers responding to a shooting in the 3000 block of West 38th Place found the 27-year-old on the ground with gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen. Juan Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two men were shot to death in the Austin neighborhood late Friday on the West Side. At 10:50 p.m., 20-year-old Stephen Tucker and 21-year-old Derrick Jones walked outside after a phone conversation in a home in the 500 block of North Laramie, when at least one person opened fire, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
The older man was shot across the body and pronounced dead at the scene; the younger man died at Mount Sinai Hospital about an hour later of wounds to the head and back, authorities said. Both lived on the block where they were killed.
A 21-year-old man was killed and another wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon in the South Shore neighborhood. Richard Chambers was standing on a sidewalk with a 20-year-old man in the 7900 block of South Exchange at 1:11 p.m. when a white SUV drove down the street and someone inside opened the rear door and started shooting, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
They were taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where Chambers died of a head wound at 2:11 p.m., authorities said. The younger man was shot in the right foot and was listed in good condition.

The fatality was the first shooting death in more than four days, the longest stretch without a fatal shooting in Chicago this year. The previous fatal shooting happened at 12:52 a.m. Sunday in the Albany Park neighborhood.
A 58-year-old man was stabbed to death Monday night in the North Kenwood neighborhood on the South Side. Anthony Durham was stabbed in the chest at 7:37 p.m. during a domestic altercation in the 4300 block of South Ellis, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
Durham, who lived in the same block, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead an hour later, the medical examiner’s office said. Police initially said someone was taken into custody, but that person was later released without charges.

Mass shooting on Christmas Day leaves brothers James and Roy Gill dead, 5 others wounded in Chatham

Jeff Mayes — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 09:40:47 -0600

By MICK DUMKE, MITCH DUDEK and JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times

Two brothers were killed and five other people were wounded in a Christmas night shooting in Chatham. / Mitch Dudek for the Sun Times

During her decade in office, Ald. Michelle Harris has talked many times with her City Council colleagues about the gun violence that has battered parts of the South and West sides.

But she says the middle-class neighborhoods in the heart of her ward have largely been spared.

That changed on Christmas night, when 18-year-old James Gill and his brother, 21-year-old Roy Gill III, were killed and five other people were wounded when a gunman opened fire on a group of people on the porch of an East Chatham bungalow. The motive isn’t clear. Police are still investigating.

“I’m stunned,” Harris said Monday. “I really am. This is something I’ve never had to deal with.”

The 8600 block of South Maryland Avenue, where the shooting occurred, is in an area of bungalows and other single-family homes that the alderman and other residents describe as “quiet.” Many residents moved there with their families decades ago.

Until the shooting, no gun-related crimes had been reported on the block for more than four years, records show.

“This is not typical for Chatham or Avalon Park,” Harris said. “Chatham is a place I dreamed of living when I was growing up. Everyone wanted to live there. It’s still a beautiful community. ... This is just off the chain. I’m deeply saddened. I don’t have the words for it.”

The shooting happened about 9:20 p.m. on Christmas night, when someone wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt walked out from an adjacent alley and opened fire on the group on the porch, according to Chicago Police.

The shooter then ran from the scene, which is about 100 yards from a bank on 87th Street and a strip mall anchored by a Walgreens and Target.

James Gill was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His Older brother Roy was shot multiple times and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

A 35-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was also taken to Christ, where he was listed in critical condition, police said.

A fourth male, whose age was not known, was shot in the body and was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, police said. A 27-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman both suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and were taken to Stroger, where their conditions were stabilized.

A 39-year-old man shot in the foot later showed up at Roseland Community Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, police said.

“We heard the shots and hit the deck,” a neighbor who asked not to be named said Monday morning. “There’s people in and out of that house all the time.”

Litter, including an empty bottle of Ketel One vodka and empty beer cans, were strewn across the lawn near police tape that cordoned off the crime scene.

A police officer guarding the scene said at least five shell casings were recovered as the snow covering a patch of grass outside the home melted overnight.

There are several surveillance cameras adjacent to the home and at least two security cameras in buildings 50 yards away.

Harris said she and other aldermen are searching for answers to the bloodshed that keeps hitting Chicago. “I think we all have these very broad dialogs about what we can do and how we can reach people. But we don’t really know the why, so it’s really difficult to work through it.

“For the residents who live here, it really shakes you to your core. I really wish I had the answers.”

The mass shooting in Chatham was among dozens of violent incidents that left 11 dead and 49 wounded over the long holiday weekend.

Over the Christmas weekend a year ago, six people were slain while 24 others were shot and wounded.

A total of 781 have died from violence in Chicago so far in 2016, the most in 20 years.

Chicago Police Department officials blamed the violence on gang conflicts and weak gun laws, as they have for years.

“Detectives are making progress in several incidents,” department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a written statement. “We now know that the majority of these shootings and homicides were targeted attacks by gangs against potential rivals who were at holiday gatherings. This was followed by several acts of retaliatory gun violence.”

Police seized 45 illegal guns between Friday and Monday, he added.