Mecahel Holder | Homicide Watch Chicago

Prosecutors: Mecahel Holder was celebrating July 4 and a friend's birthday when fatally shot in Humboldt Park

Jeff Mayes — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 12:05:52 -0500

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

Brandon Collins | Chicago Police

Mecahel Holder and two women got some beer and watched Fourth of July fireworks in Humboldt Park.

At midnight, the trio sang “Happy Birthday” for one of the women in the group, who turned 27 on July 5.

Then the celebrations turned deadly when Holder started arguing with 31-year-old Brandon Collins, Cook County prosecutors said in court Thursday.

Collins and two others began shooting at Holder, 34, who was standing in the street in the 1100 block of North Ridgeway, Assistant State’s Attorney Elena Gottreich said.

Mecahel Holder | Facebook

Holder, of the 2100 block of West 50th Place, was shot in the head and torso around 1:30 a.m., authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:44 a.m., according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The gunmen then began shooting at the car where the two women were. Both were wounded, and when they tried to drive away, they crashed the car, Gottreich said.

Police eventually helped the women out of the car and they were taken to hospitals.

The woman who was celebrating her birthday remains at Stroger Hospital in a medically induced coma, Gottreich said.

The other woman, 32, suffered multiple gunshot wounds. She identified Collins as one of the shooters, prosecutors said.

She also identified Collins as the man holding a gun in a picture she took of Collins and Holder before the murder, Gottreich said.

Judge Donald Panarese Jr. ordered Collins, of the 8000 block of South Brandon Avenue, held on a $2 million bond.

Man charged with fatal shooting of Mecahel Holder during Fourth of July party in Humboldt Park

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 12:58:59 -0500

By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Brandon Collins | Chicago Police

A 31-year-old man has been charged with killing Mecahel Holder and wounding two women in a shooting at a party over the Fourth of July weekend in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.

Brandon Collins, 31, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to Chicago Police.

Collins and the 34-year-old Holder got into an altercation at a Fourth of July celebration in the 1100 block of North Ridgeway about 1:35 a.m. July 5, according to police.

Mecahel Holder | Chicago Police

Collins shot Holder and the two women the victim had been talking to as they sat in a parked vehicle, police said.

Holder, of the 2100 block of West 50th Place, was shot in the head and torso, and was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:44 a.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

A 29-year-old woman was shot in the right shoulder and was taken in serious condition to Stroger Hospital, police said. The other woman, 31, was shot in the right hand and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.

Collins, of the 8000 block of South Brandon Avenue, was scheduled to appear in bond court Thursday.

WEEK IN REVIEW: As nation focuses on Dallas, Baton Rouge and Minnesota, at least 12 people killed in Chicago

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 16:00:12 -0500

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

While the public's attention was drawn to fatal police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana, and the killing of five police officers in Dallas last week, at least 12 people died in violence in Chicago, a number that could rise.

Police shootings in Baton Rouge and a Minneapolis suburb led to nationwide protests, including a rally in Dallas that turned fatal when a sniper opened fire, killing five officers, and wounding seven officers and two civilians.

There were a series of protests across Chicago following the incidents, but that didn't stop the violence in the city.

A man was shot and killed Sunday evening in the West Pullman neighborhood. The 33-year-old was standing on the street about 10:15 p.m. in the 11500 block of South Perry when two males walked up and fired multiple shots, Chicago Police said.

He was shot in the back and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. The shooters ran away and no suspects were in custody early Monday. The victim's name had not been released as of late Monday afternoon.

A 33-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday evening in the West Pullman neighborhood. Demetrius A. Warren was standing on the street about 10:15 p.m. in the 11500 block of South Perry when two males walked up and fired multiple shots, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Warren was shot in the back and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 11:08 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner's office. The shooters ran away, police said.
A west suburban man was killed and two other people wounded in a shooting late Friday in Austin. The three were shot while standing on the sidewalk in the 500 block of North Lavergne about 11:40 p.m., according to police.
Leander E. Winford II, 59, of Broadview, was shot in the right arm and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:38 a.m. Saturday, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the left leg and a 32-year-old man was shot in the left arm and leg, police said. They were both taken to Stroger Hospital, where their conditions were stabilized.
A 22-year-old man was fatally shot in the Roseland neighborhood Friday night, police said. Kendall Smith was standing on the sidewalk in the 11200 block of South Michigan about 9:30 p.m. when he heard gunfire and felt pain, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he later died.
One man was killed and another critically wounded in a shooting Wednesday night in the Fernwood neighborhood. Officers responding at 10:35 p.m. to a call of shots fired in the 300 block of West 106th Street found a 43-year-old man inside a home with a gunshot wound to the neck, according to police.
The officers then found 24-year-old Maurice M. Ross lying on the ground in the alley, suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and back, according to authorities. Ross was pronounced dead at the scene, and an autopsy showed he died of multiple gunshot wounds. The older man was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, police said.
An 18-year-old man was shot to death Wednesday afternoon in the Lawndale neighborhood. Officers responding to a call of a person shot found 18-year-old Kewan Gillespie with a gunshot wound to the back about 3:45 p.m. on a porch in the 3100 block of West Douglas Boulevard, according to police and the medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A woman has been charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI for a crash that killed a man Tuesday night in Brighton Park. Tania A. Reyna was ordered held on a $300,000 bond for the crash near 44th and California, according to police and the Cook County state's attorney's office.
About 11:45 p.m., Reyna was driving south on California Avenue when she disobeyed a stop sign and struck a vehicle heading east on 44th Street, police said. The eastbound vehicle then struck two poles, and the 28-year-old driver, Carlos De Lourdes, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died an hour later.

Reyna tested positive for PCP and admitted she had been drinking Four Loko and fighting with her boyfriend before she slammed into De Lourdes’ car, prosecutors said.
Authorities also found three Grey Goose vodka bottles on the passenger floor of her car.
A store manager was fatally shot while trying to stop a shoplifter at a Family Dollar store in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood Tuesday evening. JQuinn McCune, 30, was working at the store in the 7900 block of South Ashland when he saw someone inside stealing items about 5 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
When confronted, the shoplifter pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting McCune in the chest, police said. McCune, formerly of Flint, Michigan, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he later died, authorities said. The shooter ran away, and no one was in custody as of Monday morning.
A 23-year-old man died Tuesday afternoon after being stabbed the prior morning in the Ashburn neighborhood, an incident police later ruled self-defense. Derion Smith was fighting with a 21-year-old man about 2:10 a.m. Monday in the 8000 block of South Pulaski when the younger man stabbed Smith in the neck with a knife, according to police and the medical examiner's office.
Smith was taken in critical condition to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday. An autopsy Wednesday found he died of the stab wound, and his death was ruled a homicide, but police said the younger man was taken in and questioned, but later released without charges. The investigation indicated he acted in self-defense, police said..
A 25-year-old man was fatally shot in the South Chicago neighborhood Tuesday afternoon. Laron McCoy was shot in the head about 1:15 p.m. in the 8100 block of South Burnham, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.
McCoy was taken to South Shore Hospital, where he later died, authorities said. He lived in the 9700 block of South Luella.
A man was killed and two women injured in a shooting early Tuesday in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. Mecahel Holder, 34, was standing outside in the 1100 block of North Ridgeway talking to two women who were sitting in a parked vehicle at 1:35 a.m. He then got into an argument with a pair of males in the street, one of whom opened fire, authorities said.
Holder suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. A 29-year-old woman was shot in the right shoulder and was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, police said. The other woman, 31, was shot in the right hand and was in good condition.
A southwest suburban man was shot to death in the South Shore neighborhood Monday night. Officers responding about 9:20 p.m. to a call of a traffic crash with injuries in the 6900 block of South Clyde found 40-year-old Michael Griffin lying in the street with a gunshot wound to his abdomen, according to police and the medical examiner's office. Griffin, who lived in Tinley Park, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead an hour later.

A 13th potential homicide could be a man found dead with a gunshot wound to the head after a fire in an automotive repair shop Tuesday morning in Avalon Park, but authorities have not determined whether the incident was a murder or a suicide.

Firefighters responded about 6:40 a.m. to the blaze at the business in the 8000 block of South Stony Island, and the 56-year-old man was found dead after the fire, according to the Chicago Fire Dept. and police. Area South and arson detectives are conducting a death investigation.

Mecahel Holder killed, two women wounded in shooting in Humboldt Park

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 10:26:15 -0500

Mecahel Holder was killed and two women were injured in a shooting early Tuesday in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.

Holder, 34, was standing outside in the 1100 block of North Ridgeway talking to the two women, who were sitting in a parked vehicle at 1:35 a.m. He then got into an argument with a pair of males in the street, one of whom opened fire, authorities said.

Holder suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:44 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 2100 block of West 50th Place.

A 29-year-old woman was shot in the right shoulder and was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, Chicago Police said. The other woman, 31, was shot in the right hand, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.

Early Tuesday, Holder could be seen lying in the street among more than a dozen shell casings, near the remnants of Fourth of July fireworks.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire