Moises Antonio Gonzalez | Homicide Watch Chicago

Holidays won't be the same for family of Moises Gonzalez—Batman fan, wrestler and family protector

Lou Foglia — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 10:56:46 -0600

Moises Gonzalez | Provided photo

By LOU FOGLIA
Homicide Watch Chicago

Moises Antonio Gonzalez was busy preparing for the holiday season just days before he was killed, family members recall.

Each year before December’s arrival, he would set up a holiday train beneath the family’s Christmas tree in their Little Village apartment.

The train was given to him by his mother, Irma Jimenez, during the family’s first Christmas in Chicago in 1996. It was the year Gonzalez, his mother and two younger siblings fled from their father, who abused them, according to family members.

But when the train was destroyed in a basement flood a few years ago, the holiday tradition stopped. That was until last month—when Gonzalez’s sister, Yahtzeni Gonzalez, 23, surprised her older brother with a brand new train set.

“He was so excited to see the train,” Yahtzeni Gonzalez said. “So excited that it was there and it looked just like the one my mom got him when we first came [to Chicago].”

Her brother died a few days later on Nov. 23—the eve of Thanksgiving Day.

The 25-year-old was standing in the street at 2:14 a.m in 4100 block of West 47th Street with another man when a third man fired shots at them from a gangway, according to Chicago Police.

Gonzalez was shot in the chest and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at at 2:53 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

“My brother was not just a number,” Yahtzeni Gonzalez said, frustrated by her brother’s death and the recurring cases of gun violence in Chicago. “He had visions and goals. He knew what he wanted in life.”

Those goals included protecting his family—which she said her brother set out to do from a young age. Moises Gonzalez read Batman comics when his father became violent. The then-6-year-old read to get away from his father, but also to find ways he could protect his mother and siblings.

“He would look at Batman as a hero,” Yahtzeni Gonzalez, said. “Because although both of his parents were gone, he managed to want to save the world. He managed to want to save Gotham.”

Moises Gonzalez, left, with his sister, Yahtzeni Gonzalez, (top center) mother Irma Jimenez and brother Luis Gonzalez. | Provided photo

So Moises Gonzalez began calling himself “Batman,” and set out to save his family.

When his family moved to Chicago, he began working at a warehouse with his mother. The middle schooler lifted boxes and took out trash, but didn’t earn much money.

With each paycheck, he took his siblings to a corner store near 25th and Hamlin in Little Village. He’d buy them each a bag of chips, a can of Coke and candy if they wanted it.

As her brother grew older, Yahtzeni Gonzalez said her brother would bring her to and from high school. He defended her from bullies, and mentored her as best he could—all while he attended Lawndale Little Village High. There, Gonzalez graduated at the top of his class, his sister said.

When his mother lost her job in 2013, Moises Gonzales stepped in. He put his plans for college on hold, and began working as a mechanic at Jiffy Lube full-time. Earlier this year, he was promoted to assistant manager.

“Since we were young my brother was always very over-protective, Yahtzeni Gonzalez said. “He always wanted us to be safe. He always wanted to make sure we had everything we needed.”

Moises Gonzalez also worked so his sister could earn her bachelors degree. She said she will graduate from Northeastern Illinois University in the spring with a psychology degree, and the siblings had planned to trade places in the fall—she would work and Moises would attend school. She said he had plans to become an astronomer.

Among his numerous responsibilities, Moises Gonzalez was an aspiring professional wrestler. He wrestled throughout high school and continued fighting in tournaments regularly after graduation.

Yahtzeni Gonzalez said her brother would come home bruised, sometimes with fractured bones, but was never discouraged. His favorite wrestler was “The Undertaker.”

“All he kept saying was, ‘This is my life and this is what I love to do,’” Yahtzeni Gonzalez said. “I don’t know what he was doing on in his head, but he loved it [wrestling].”

She recalled waking up in the middle of the night Nov. 23 to the sound of her mother on the phone. She said she had a “gut feeling” that something was wrong with her brother—and she was right.

Yahtzeni Gonzalez and her mother were told to quickly drive to Mount Sinai Hospital. They had no idea what had happened to her brother, or what his condition was. At the hospital they met with a team of doctors in a small waiting room.

“It seemed like in the movies when someone gives you the bad news,” she said.

Doctors told them a bullet had pierced her brother's torso and damaged his lungs. They were unable to save him.

“At the moment I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t know what was going on.”

She was allowed to see her brother, but she couldn’t touch him. He was part of a police investigation at the time.

“It was hard to look at my brother in the bed—knowing that he wasn’t there anymore,” she said. “What hurt the most was that nobody closed my brother’s eyes.”

Hours later, on Thanksgiving morning, Yahtzeni Gonzalez said it felt like “just another day.” Her mother and younger brother were still in shock as friends and relatives visited and gave their condolences.

Moises Gonzalez with his sister Yahtzeni Gonzalez, on her 21st birthday. | Provided photo

“For me, there really was no way to say thanks,” Yahtzeni Gonzalez said. “There was no Thanksgiving. How do you give thanks when your brother was murdered and you don't know anything? The only thing that I was able to give thanks for was that I did have a brother like him and he left a huge legacy behind.”

The family plans celebrate the holidays as best they can. She said her family wants closure, but little progress in the investigation of her brother's killing has been made. She said they’ve reached out to detectives, but haven’t heard back.

The family is also struggling to pay for Moises' tombstone, and the two vehicles he owned. They raised more than $7,000 through a GoFundMe page, but that only covered most of his funeral expenses.

“It doesn't even feel like the holidays,” Yahtzeni Gonzalez said.

Still, she said her brother’s death has brought the family closer together this year—something he would have wanted.

“This Christmas all my aunts and uncles are coming together...we’re all going to be there,” Yahtzeni Gonzalez said. “That’s what he wanted to see.”

WEEK IN REVIEW: 12 more die in Chicago violence, making November the third-deadliest month of the year

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 11:00:09 -0600

By JEFF MAYES and JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

At least 12 people were shot to death in Chicago last week as a violent year continued with no sign of colder weather stopping the bloodshed in the streets.

November closed with 77 murder victims in the city, making it the third-deadliest month of the year, according to Chicago Police. October was second with 78 homicide victims, while the highest death toll of the year so far was in August, when more than 90 people were killed.

November saw a total 316 shooting incidents and 389 shooting victims, according to police, who claim the increase in violence is driven by five police districts on the South and West sides.

The city also passed the grim milestone of 700 homicides for the year in November, the first time has happened since 1998. Through the end of November, there were 714 homicides, according to Chicago Sun-Times Wire records.

Through Nov. 30, the city has had a total of 4,048 shooting victims in 3,315 shooting incidents in 2016, according to police.

“The levels of violence we have seen this year in some of our communities is absolutely unacceptable,” police Supt. Eddie Johnson said in a statement. “CPD will use every tool available to hold violent offenders accountable and will continue to work strategically to address crime and uphold its commitment to rebuild public trust.”

Last week's final homicide was man shot to death Sunday afternoon in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side. Delvon Weston, 18, was sitting in a parked vehicle at 2:03 p.m. in the 8800 block of South Marshfield when someone fired shots from a dark-colored SUV, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He suffered several shots to the chest and took himself to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead minutes later.
Another man was shot to death Sunday afternoon in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. At 1:52 p.m., 37-year-old Rickey J. King was with a group when someone opened fire from across the the street in the 3800 block of West Adams, according to police and the medical examiner's office. King was shot in the head and was pronounced at the scene.
Earlier Sunday, one man was killed and another wounded in a Homan Square neighborhood shooting on the West Side. The men were seated in a parked vehicle at 2:38 a.m. in the 3400 block of West Harrison when a silver car stopped in front of them, two males wearing hooded sweatshirts exited the car, and both opened fire, according to police. Erik Peoples, 30, suffered gunshot wounds to the head and body, and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities. The other man, 31, was shot in the arm and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.
A man was killed in a shooting Saturday afternoon in the South Side Woodlawn neighborhood. Witnesses told police they saw two men get into a fight and heard a gunshot at 3:38 p.m. in the 6600 block of South Kenwood, according to police. Gregory Thomas-Bell, 56, was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.
A man was killed and five other people were wounded when two gunmen opened fire outside a house party in the South Chicago neighborhood early Saturday. It happened about 2:15 a.m. in the 8800 block of South Exchange, according to police. Dequan M. Barnett, 18, was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office. A 20-year-old man shot in the groin was taken in critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, along with a 21-year-old man with an arm wound whose condition was stabilized, police said. A 25-year-old woman was taken to Stroger Hospital with a graze wound to the head; a 22-year-old man shot in the hand went to Trinity Hospital; and a 23-year-old man shot in the arm went to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Their conditions were stabilized.
A 16-year-old boy died Friday night after he was shot multiple times in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side. Diego Alvarado was outside about 6:40 p.m. near his home in the 4800 block of South Throop when he heard gunfire and was hit in the back, groin and arm, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Alvarado was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died less than an hour later.
A 24-year-old man died after he was shot during a robbery Friday afternoon in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. Two people walked up to Thomas Smith shortly before 2 p.m. in the 7300 block of South Lowe, demanded his things and then shot him in the abdomen, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Smith died at Stroger Hospital at 4:30 p.m.
A man was shot and killed by Chicago Police officers, who saw him shoot two other people, one fatally, early Friday in Homan Square. Harrison District officers heard gunfire while on patrol about 12:25 a.m. and saw someone standing over another person and firing a gun near the intersection of Harrison and Central Park Avenue, police said. The officers got out of their squad car, “engaged the offender” and fatally shot him. He allegedly shot two other people, one of whom died. The other was taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm.
The person shot by police was identified as 37-year-old Cleotha Mitchell, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. The man allegedly shot by Mitchell was identified as 35-year-old Jeffery J. Banks. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
One man was killed and another seriously wounded in a shooting early Wednesday morning in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest Side. The men were standing in the street at 2:14 a.m. Wednesday in the 4100 block of West 47th Street when a male fired shots from a gangway, according to police. Moises Antonio Gonzalez, 25, was shot in the chest, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner’s office. A 22-year-old man was also shot in the chest and was taken to Mount Sinai in serious condition.
A 20-year-old man was gunned down Tuesday evening in a West Garfield Park neighborhood drive-by attack. About 5:45 p.m., a dark car pulled up to Deshawn Adams in the 3500 block of West Van Buren and someone inside opened fire, hitting him multiple times in the head and chest, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Adams was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 36-year-old man charged with stabbing three people in a Chinatown apartment for transients is being held on a $2 million bond. Raul Gonzalez allegedly wielded a 10-inch blade, killing Zenan “Sonny” Hernandez, 51, and injuring two other men, Cook County prosecutors said. At the time of the stabbings, Gonzalez was living in an apartment in the 200 block of West 23rd, prosecutors said. On Monday evening, he got in an argument with one of the men he would later stab, prosecutors said. What began as a verbal argument escalated when Gonzalez pulled the knife, prosecutors said.
Gonzalez stabbed Hernandez in the head, back and hand, prosecutors said. One of the victims received wounds to his groin, while the third victim was stabbed several times in the head, prosecutors said. Gonzalez was also injured when two of the victims used knives to defend themselves, prosecutors said. Hernandez was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The other men were taken to Stroger Hospital, where their conditions were stabilized.
The week's first fatal shooting involved two teenage boys who were shot Monday afternoon in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side. About 2 p.m., the boys were on a sidewalk in the 1300 block of South Homan when a black vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire, hitting a 17-year-old in the chest and hand; and a 16-year-old in the buttocks, according to police. They were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where the older boy, identified as Ketrell Hill, died, according to authorities. The condition of the 16-year-old was stabilized.

Aspiring pro wrestler and Batman fanatic Moises Gonzalez shot to death in Archer Heights attack

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 17:08:57 -0600

A Northwest Side man who loved wrestling and Batman, Moises Antonio Gonzalez was killed in a shooting that also left another man seriously wounded last week in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

Friends and family members said Moises Gonzalez loved wrestling and Batman. | Facebook

Gonzalez, 25, was standing in the street at 2:14 a.m. Wednesday in the 4100 block of West 47th Street with another man when a third man fired shots at them from a gangway, according to Chicago Police.

Gonzalez was shot in the chest and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at at 2:53 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 4700 block of West Shakespeare.

A 22-year-old man was also shot in the chest and was taken to Mount Sinai in serious condition, police said.

Gonzalez was a graduate of Lawndale Little Village High School, where he was a standout wrestler, and was putting himself through college while wrestling professionally, most recently with UPW Pro Wrestling.

A GoFundMe page set up to help the family and to pay for funeral expenses said of Gonzalez: "He was a wrestler, student, son and brother."

The page had raised more than $7,000 in the first five days it was up.

Another aspiring pro wrestler, Coery Wells of Appletin, Wisconsin, said of Gonazalez in a Facebook post: "We've shared the ring on a few occasions, not once did you act like you knew everything, and you were always filled with questions. The skills you had in the ring may not have been perfectly honed, but you always wanted to learn and improve, and get better with each match. In a sport that everyone is supposed to act out, "Hey look at me, give me the attention!" you were always selfless."

--Homicide Watch Chicago