Monte Tillman | Homicide Watch Chicago

Prosecutors: Lavert Pitts fatally shot Monte Tillman at Austin car wash

Michael Lansu — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 16:51:10 -0600

Lavert Pitts / Photo from Chicago Police

BY JORDAN OWEN
Sun-Times Media

A West Side man currently in federal custody for bank robbery now faces murder charges in the May shooting death of Monte Tillman.

Lavert Pitts, 24, of the 4800 block of West Gladys Avenue, was charged with first-degree murder in the May 26 shooting death of Tillman in the 5200 block of West Lake Street, authorities said.

Assistant State's Attorney Robert Mack said Pitts walked up to a car wash with his hand in his pocket and shook hands with Tillman.

When Tillman turned his back to talk with somebody in a nearby car, Pitts pulled out a handgun and shot Tillman in the back, Mack said.

After being shot, Tillman ran to the back of a vehicle parked on the street and returned fire, Mack said.

The two continued to exchange gunfire until Pitts fled in a vehicle, Mack said.

Tillman, 33, of the 1100 block of Thomas Avenue in Forest Park, died about an hour later at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, authorities said.

Tillman’s cousin, the Rev. Ezra Tillman of First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Flint, Mich., said Monte Tillman got involved in Chicago’s gang culture and the family was “hurt but not shocked” to learn of his death.

“He was clear that was what his world was to him. In the circle he was in, the people he had around, I guess he had love and support,” Ezra Tillman said. “He felt he was safe.”

Monte Tillman / Photo from Facebook

The shooting was captured on surveillance video and multiple witnesses identified Pitts as the shooter, Mack said.

In a videotaped statement, Pitts admitted shooting Tillman and boasted the killing “wasn’t no tit for tat, that’s the thing, if you shoot one of mines [sic] and don’t kill, I’m coming back killing one of yours, this ain’t a war until you send the shots, and it ain’t gonna be a war because by the time you send the shots you be dead.”

He also admitted to disposing of the murder weapon, Mack said.

Judge James Brown ordered Pitts, who is currently in federal custody for a band robbery he committed three days later, held without bond.

He will be back in court on the murder charges Jan. 7.

-- Contributing: Susan Du

Comment of the Day: "I'm [going to] miss calling you askin' you to make a pot roast"

Michael Lansu — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 16:01:33 -0500

Monte Tillman, 33, was fatally shot last month in the Austin community. Reader "lil lady" posted this about him:

Rest in peace monte im gone miss calling you askin you to make a pot roast every sunday cause i never knew a dude that could cook like u i will foreva watch ova my lil cousin monae an always let her know how much her daddy loved her an she will foreva be daddys little girl rest foreva TaeBlack much luv!!!

WEEK IN REVIEW: 14 murdered throughout Chicago

Michael Lansu — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 09:17:44 -0500

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Fourteen people were murdered throughout Chicago last week -- including two people in their 50s.

Nine of the murders happened on South Side, four on the West Side and one on the North Side. The Austin community had the most killings last week with three.

The most recent murder happened when 27-year-old Eric Kall was shot multiple times in the 6200 block of South Francisco Avenue shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Kall, of the 5100 block of South Moody Avenue, died at Holy Cross Hospital about 20 minutes later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

In the South Deering community, 31-year-old Denero Appleton was shot while standing outside in the 9600 block of South Brennan Avenue when several people walked up and opened fire at 8:48 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Appleton, of the 9900 block of South Calhoun Avenue, died later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the Austin community, 17-year-old Donald Williams was standing with a group of females near North Lavergne Avenue and West Ferdinand Street when several gunmen emerged from a nearby alley and opened fire about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Williams, of the 3000 block of West Dickens Street, was shot in the back and died at Mount Sinai Hospital at 1:19 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. Two teenage girls and three women were also wounded.

On Saturday, 16-year-old Nicholas Keener was walking with a group in the 3800 block of North St. Louis Avenue in the Irving Park community when shots were fired from a passing vehicle about 10:30 p.m., authorities said.

Keener, of the 4800 block of North Hamlin Avenue, was shot in the chest and died at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center less than an hour later, authorities said.

In the South Chicago neighborhood, 33-year-old De Angelo Russell was walking with a friend in the 2600 block of East 83rd Street when at least one gunman walked up and fired shots about 10:15 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Russell, of the 8200 block of South Marquette Avenue, was shot in the thigh, leg and arm and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the Chatham neighborhood, 21-year-old McArthur Swindle was sitting in a sport-utility vehicle in the 700 block of East 87th Street when someone walked up and fatally shot him about 3:20 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Swindle — who went by the name Nuski as a rapper — was a relative of prominent Chicago rapper Lil Durk.

On Friday, 51-year-old Charles D. Short was standing with another man in the 4200 block of South Princeton Avenue in the Fuller Park neighborhood when a vehicle drove up and a male exited and started shooting in their direction about 6:30 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

Short, 51, of the 6700 block of South Indiana Avenue, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Thursday, 19-year-old Malcolm Stuckey was on a porch in the 5700 block of South La Salle Street in the Englewood neighborhood when someone walked out of a gangway and fired shots about 6:10 p.m., authorities said.

Stuckey, 19, of the 16000 block of Carrington Drive in South Holland, was shot in the head and declared dead at 10:35 p.m., authorities said. Two other men, 23 and 24, were also wounded in the shooting.

On the South Side, 58-year-old Betty Howard was shot in the head in the 700 block of East 79th Street about 5:25 p.m. Thursday, authorities said. Howard, of of the 2200 block of South 14th Avenue in Broadview, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital less than an hour later.

Howard was a special education teacher Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep and was working her second job in her Chatham real estate office when she was shot.

In the South Shore neighborhood, 21-year-old Craig Mitchell was shot multiple times in the 2400 block of East 74th Street about 12:30 p.m. Thursday, authorities said. He was declared dead on the scene.

On Tuesday, 21-year-old Paul Pyron was driving a black Ford Expedition in the 2300 block of West 80th Street in the Ashburn neighborhood when two people approached and shot him during a carjacking about 10:25 p.m., authorities said.

Pyron died later that night at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the medical examiner's office.

Friends said Pyron was an aspiring rapper who was always telling jokes.

On Monday, 33-year-old Monte Tillman was fatally shot about 3:15 p.m. in the 5200 block of West Lake Street in the Austin community, authorities said. Tillman, of the 1100 block of Thomas Avenue in Forest Park, died about an hour later at Stroger Hospital, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the East Garfield Park neighborhood, police found 47-year-old Vincent Simmons in a vacant apartment in the the 2800 block of West Arthington Street about 7:15 a.m. Monday, authorities said. Simmons and a 43-year-old man were each stabbed and shot in the head.

Simmons, of the 2700 block of West Harrison Street, was dead at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office. The other man survived, police said.

The killings started when 25-year-old Lance Stanton was shot 5400 block of West Haddon Avenue in the Austin neighborhood about 1 a.m., authorities said. Stanton, who lived on the block, died at Stroger Hospital.

Nobody has been charged in any of the murders.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 156 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including seven 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, recorded 134 murders through May, ruling the other homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.

Cousin: Monte Tillman 'felt he was safe' in gang lifestyle

Michael Lansu — Thu, 29 May 2014 13:13:48 -0500

Monte Tillman / Photo from Facebook

BY SUSAN DU
Homicide Watch Chicago

Joliet-born Monte Tillman moved around the country in his youth, but he was always drawn to the culture and community of Chicago, family said.

Tillman, 33, was shot in the torso Monday afternoon in the 5200 block of West Lake Street in the Austin neighborhood, authorities said. He died about an hour later at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital.

Tillman's cousin, the Rev. Ezra Tillman of First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Flint, Mich., said Monte Tillman got involved in Chicago's gang culture and the family was "hurt but not shocked" to learn of his death.

"He was clear that was what his world was to him. In the circle he was in, the people he had around, I guess he had love and support," Ezra Tillman said. "He felt he was safe."

"The reality is if you're liked, you're also disliked," Ezra Tillman said.

As a young teen, Monte Tillman moved to Alabama with his grandmother. He spent a year going to school with his cousin, Ezra Tillman said.

The two cousins spent a lot of time at their grandmother's house, contended for the affection of a mutual crush and ran in the fields and played in the woods like "real southern guys," Ezra Tillman said.

Yet Monte Tillman yearned for Chicago and his family, Ezra Tillman said. He found comfort in his family and friends.

"He was a loving, passionate person, definitely a mild-mannered fellow," Ezra Tillman said. "He was the one to just sit and enjoy watching everyone else being loud and obnoxious and cracking jokes at family functions."

Ezra Tillman recalled a conversation he had with Monte Tillman at a relative's funeral about his lifestyle in Chicago. Ezra Tillman expressed concern his cousin was becoming too embedded in the city's gang culture.

"I was talking to him about being in the church, actually having Christ be a part of his life, if he was thinking about getting out of Chicago," Ezra Tillman said. "He didn't give any distinctive answer to say yes, so I felt as if he was trapped in that environment of not knowing 'Where would I go, what would I do?'"

Ezra Tillman believes his cousin was a victim of circumstance and environment.

He said he noticed certain warning signs that Monte Tillman was falling in with the wrong people. Monte Tillman would post photos on Facebook of himself posing with money in his hand, quotes implying a carpe diem philosophy that suggested "he wasn't really looking so far as future goals and dreams," Ezra Tillman said.

"Those types of things I know would breed greed, breed a street lifestyle potentially, bring about people who would set you up," Ezra Tillman said. "But he was flamboyant in that regard, in his dress, how he carried himself."

Ezra Tillman said he is less concerned about other members of the Tillman family in Chicago.

"If it can happen to someone else's family it can happen to your," he said. "[Monte Tillman] was a good person at heart. His personality would never reflect the ideas of a street life. His demeanor was peaceable. His attitude was respectful."

Monte Tillman fatally shot in Austin community

Michael Lansu — Tue, 27 May 2014 08:59:08 -0500

Monte Tillman was fatally shot Monday afternoon in the Austin neighborhood.

Tillman, 33, was shot in the torso in the 5200 block of West Lake Street about 3:15 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

Tillman, of the 1100 block of Thomas Avenue in Forest Park, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County about an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area North detectives are investigating.