Michael Bloodson Jr. | Homicide Watch Chicagohttp://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/michael-bloodson-jr/Latest news about Michael Bloodson Jr.en-usThu, 20 Nov 2014 16:38:55 -0600Family: Slain teen Michael Bloodson enjoyed arts, technologyhttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/11/20/family-slain-teen-michael-bloodson-enjoyed-arts-technology/<p><span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='500' height='312' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/TMniB-d6o_8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen='true'></iframe></span></p> <p>BY EMILY BROSIOUS<br /> Homicide Watch Chicago</p> <p>Little Black Pearl Art &#038; Design Academy student <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/michael-bloodson-jr/">Michael Faheem Bloodson</a> recently developed a passion for glassblowing.</p> <p>Bloodson, 17, was shot in head in the 3900 block of South Prairie Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood about 3 p.m. Sept. 13, authorities said. He died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County less than an hour later.</p> <p>“It hurts so much because he had his whole future ahead of him,” said his grandmother, Debra Bloodson. “So many things we could have done. I looked forward to my grandson being something very special, because whatever he did, he would do it very well.”</p> <p>At Bloodson's funeral, one of his teachers brought his grandmother the glasswork he made for her in class.<br /> <span id="more-9110"></span><br /> “I have them -- so special. I will never, ever part from them,” Debra Bloodson said.</p> <p>In addition to glassblowing, Debra Bloodson said her grandson was good with technology and wanted to pursue a career in computers, possibly a computer programmer.</p> <p>“He would take the laptop at home, he would get my phone, his phone, his grandfather’s phone, and be doing like three or four things at once,” she said.<img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2014/11/Bloodson.jpg" alt="Michael Bloodson / Photo from Twitter" width="225" height="300" class="size-full wp-image-9128" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Michael Bloodson / Photo from Twitter</p></p> <p>Outside the classroom, Michael Bloodson was a naturally talented athlete who played baseball, basketball and football, said his grandfather, William Burks. </p> <p>Burks said his grandson was transferred to an elementary school in a rough area because of neighborhood school closures and he “learned to be tough, sometimes unnecessarily so.”</p> <p>Burks said Michael Bloodson started showing signs of trouble in high school, and he believes the school system failed to provide a support system.</p> <p>“They were supposed to have done a personal development plan for him, where the parents meet with counselors and so forth, that was never done for him,” Burks said. “And as a result, I think it had some psychological harm.”</p> <p>Despite acting out occasionally like a normal teenager, relatives described Michael Bloodson as a young man with many talents and who could light up a room.</p> <p>“Michael had a big personality and he was very outspoken,” said his mother, Latoya Powell. “He had a lot of friends.”</p> <p>In addition to his friends, Michael Bloodson was close with his 11 brothers, six sisters and his extended family, relatives said.</p> <p>“Michael just loved his sisters and brothers, and he loved life,” Powell said. “He worshiped the ground his grandmother, and dad, and I ... the ground we walked on.”</p> <p>On the afternoon Michael Bloodson was killed, Powell said a group of young men shot at her son earlier in the day. He ran to his girlfriend’s nearby home and called her in distress. She told him to stay where he was until his grandmother could get there to pick him up, Powell said.</p> <p><iframe src="http://homicides.suntimes.com/api/v1/homicides/732.html" width="100%" height="350" frameborder=0></iframe></p> <p>“All Michael did was leave the house and [go] four houses down to his uncle’s house," Powell said. "The boys followed my son and they murdered him. They shot my son five times for nothing."</p> <p>Prior to the shooting, a group of young men from the neighborhood had been pressuring Michael Bloodson to join up with them. He had trouble getting to and from school without confrontation, and eventually told his grandmother that he had to give in to the pressure and pretend for his own safety, Debra Bloodson said.</p> <p>“And right after he’s dead. They’re on Twitter saying that they killed him, saying that ‘he wasn’t real, he wouldn’t join, he wouldn’t accept it.’” Bloodson said. “That hurts. I think something can really be done about this. It shouldn’t have to be this way.”</p> <p>Powell said she has been somewhat comforted by the large outpour of support from friends, classmates, teachers and neighbors following his death.</p> <p>“He had an impact on the world," Powell said. "It’s like once they took Michael, they took everybody."</p> <p>Nobody has been charged for the murder. Area Central detectives are investigating. </p> Michael LansuThu, 20 Nov 2014 16:38:55 -0600http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/11/20/family-slain-teen-michael-bloodson-enjoyed-arts-technology/Michael Bloodson Jr.WEEK IN REVIEW: Seven killed in Chicago shootingshttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/09/15/week-in-review-seven-killed-in-chicago-shootings/<p>BY MICHAEL LANSU<br /> Homicide Watch Chicago Editor</p> <p>Seven people were shot to death throughout Chicago last week.</p> <p>Two of the fatal shootings happened over the weekend, when at least 14 other people were wounded by gunfire.</p> <p>The most recent killing happened when 28-year-old Charles Labon was fatally shot while walking in the 4100 block of West 16th Street about 1:50 p.m. Sunday, police said.<br /> <span id="more-8089"></span><br /> Labon, of the 1900 block of South St. Louis Avenue, was shot in the chest and later died at Mount Sinai Hospital, authorities said.</p> <p>On Saturday, 17-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/michael-bloodson-jr/">Michael Bloodson Jr.</a> was shot in the head in the 3900 block of South Prairie Avenue just before 3 p.m., authorities said.</p> <p>Bloodson, of the 4600 block of South Drexel Avenue, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.</p> <p>On Thursday, 19-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/glenford-johnson/">Glenford S. Johnson</a> was shot about 12:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of West Juneway Terrace, authorities said.</p> <p>Johnson, of the 1500 block of East 62nd Street, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.</p> <p>On Wednesday, 21-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/michael-wright/">Michael Wright</a> was driving in the 9300 block of South Greenwood Avenue when someone in a gray car pulled alongside and somebody inside opened fire about 10:35 a.m., authorities said.</p> <p>Wright was struck multiple times in the chest, then crashed about two blocks away in the 9100 block of South Greenwood Avenue, authorities said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner’s office. </p> <p>In the Portage Park community, 31-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/gabriel-menses/">Gabriel Menses</a> was driving in the 5200 block of West Waveland Avenue when a blue SUV pulled alongside and somebody inside opened fire about 1 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said.</p> <p>Menses, of the 4600 block of North Sayre Avenue in Norridge, was shot in the back and parked the car, authorities said. He died on the scene.</p> <p>On Monday, 32-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/terry-cook/">Terry Cook</a> was shot multiple times in the 5400 block of South Laflin Street in the Back of the Yards community about 3 p.m., authorities said.</p> <p>Cook, of the 1400 block of West Garfield Boulevard, died later that day at Stroger Hospital, according to the medical examiner's office.</p> <p>The killings started when 54-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/malcolm-warnsby/">Malcolm Warnsby</a> was shot in the back in the 1100 block of North Harding Avenue in the Humboldt Park community about 3:25 a.m. Monday, authorities said.</p> <p>Warnsby, of the 1300 block of North Kildare Avenue, died about three hours later at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the medical examiner’s office.</p> <p>Additionally, 20-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/martell-robinson/">Martell Robinson</a>, of the 300 block of West 35th Street in Steger, died Monday morning from injuries suffered when he was shot in the head in an alley in the 9700 block of South Forest Avenue in the Roseland neighborhood Saturday morning.</p> <p>Nobody has been charged for any of the murders.</p> <p>Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 301 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including 12 people killed by police.</p> <p>Chicago Police, <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2013/12/30/homicides-why-do-chicago-police-and-the-medical-examiners-office-report-different-totals/">which counts murders different</a>, have ruled some of those homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.</p> Michael LansuMon, 15 Sep 2014 10:46:02 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/09/15/week-in-review-seven-killed-in-chicago-shootings/Michael Bloodson Jr.Terry CookGlenford JohnsonCharles LabonGabriel MensesMartell RobinsonMalcolm WarnsbyMichael WrightMichael Bloodson Jr., 17, killed in Bronzeville shootinghttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/09/14/michael-bloodson-jr-17-killed-in-bronzeville-shooting/<p><iframe src="http://homicides.suntimes.com/api/v1/homicides/732.html" width="100%" height="350" frameborder=0></iframe></p> <p><a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/michael-bloodson-jr/">Michael Bloodson Jr.</a> was fatally shot in the Bronzeville neighborhood Saturday afternoon.</p> <p>Bloodson, 17, was shot in the head in the 3900 block of South Prairie Avenue just before 3 p.m., authorities said.<br /> <span id="more-8086"></span><br /> Bloodson, of the 4600 block of South Drexel Avenue, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.</p> <p>Nobody has been charged for the murder.</p> <p>Area Central detectives are investigating if the shooting is gang related.</p> <p>-- Sun-Times Media Wire</p> Michael LansuSun, 14 Sep 2014 14:51:07 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/09/14/michael-bloodson-jr-17-killed-in-bronzeville-shooting/Michael Bloodson Jr.