Petro Rymar | Homicide Watch Chicago

19-year-old man charged with killing Petro Rymar while robbing the victim's coin shop in Irving Park

Jeff Mayes — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 17:11:04 -0500

By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times

Jonathon Herrera | Chicago Police

A Northwest Side man was ordered held without bond Friday for the murder of a56-year-old Petro Rymar inside the victim's shop the Northwest Side Irving Park neighborhood.

Jonathon Herrera, 19, of the 5300 block of North Lovejoy was charged with first-degree murder, burglary and armed robbery, according to Chicago Police.

About 5 p.m. April 1, Herrera was buzzed into Bart's Coins & Collectibles in the 3900 block of North Pulaski by the 56-year-old Rymar, who owned the shop, prosecutors said at Herrera's bond hearing Friday.

Once inside, he stabbed Rymar several times in the chest and abdomen with a "sharp instrument," prosecutors said. He then stole several items from the store's vault, broke a window with a stool and jumped out.

Multiple witnesses outside the store saw him leave through the window, prosecutors said. Someone called 911 and officers forced their way into the store and found Rymar unresponsive on the floor in the back office.

Rymar, of the 4900 block of North Avers, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Police initially said he had been shot, but an autopsy found he died of multiple sharp force injuries and his death was ruled a homicide.

A bloody fingerprint from an item in the vault, and another on the broken window, were matched to Herrera by the Illinois State Police crime lab, prosecutors said. He had pawned or sold the items stolen from the shop.

A week before the murder, Herrera burglarized another store on the Northwest Side, prosecutors said.

On March 24, he entered through the roof of Archie's Precious Metals in the 5500 block of West Devon Avenue while the shop was closed and stole numerous items, putting them into garbage bags, prosecutors said.

Video surveillance caught the burglary, and a store employee recognized Herrera, who had pawned an item at the store and given them his ID, prosecutors said.

Herrera was arrested at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the 5700 block of West Higgins, authorities said. He was ordered held without bond Friday.

Family members of Rymar have set up a YouCaring page to try to raise enough money to have his body flown back to the Ukraine for burial.

WEEK IN REVIEW: At least 10 people killed in Chicago violence, including four on a bloody Thursday

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 16:00:49 -0500

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

At least 10 people were killed in Chicago last week, with four fatal shooting on Thursday, including a former star high school basketball player and a man shot while trying to rob two other men.

The last homicide of the week was a man who died Sunday after he was shot while working as a bouncer late Saturday at an Irving Park neighborhood bar. Angel Ortiz Jr., 51, was working about 11:40 p.m. at Brudder’s Sports Bar at 3600 North Pulaski when someone fired shots from the street into the window, according to Chicago Police.

He was shot in the head and was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he died Sunday, according to police.

A 56-year-old man was found fatally stabbed inside an Irving Park neighborhood shop Friday afternoon. Officers called to check a report of a broken window at the store in the 3900 block of North Pulaski about 5 p.m. found Petro Rymar dead at the scene with multiple injuries, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Rymar lived in the 4900 block of North Avers, authorities said. Police initially said he had been shot but an autopsy determined he had suffered stab wounds. An autopsy ruled his death a homicide.

A man who was shot and killed while trying to rob two others in the Uptown neighborhood late Thursday, according to police. Two men were unloading a vehicle in an alley in the 1000 block of West Winona about 10:30 p.m. when 28-year-old William C. George walked up and demanded their things, according to police.

One of the men handed over his cellphone and wallet, but when the robber said he was taking the car, the other man pulled out a gun and shot him multiple times, police said. George was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:59 a.m. Friday, according to the medical examiner's office. He lived in the 7700 block of South Lowe.

An autopsy found George died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner's office. The shooter was licensed to have the weapon and was not charged, police said.

A former boys high school basketball standout was killed Thursday afternoon in West Garfield Park, a shooting that also left a woman dead and a 16-year-old boy injured.

The three were standing outside Hefferan Elementary School in the 4300 block of West Wilcox at 4:04 p.m. when someone in a van opened fire, according to police.

The man, identified by family and friends as Demetrius "DJ" Tolliver, was shot in the chest and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He was a former basketball star ar Farragut High.

Dejenaba A. Altman, 43, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4:40 p.m., authorities said. She lived in Cicero, according to the medical examiner's office, though her Facebook page said she was a DeKalb resident. The teen was shot in the leg and was also taken to Mount Sinai, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

A man was killed in another shooting early Thursday in Logan Square. Mario E. Guzman, 32, was outside in the 2900 block of North Sacramento about 1:45 a.m. when a white SUV pulled up and someone inside fired at him, according to police and the medical examiner's office.

Guzman was shot in the chest and was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:33 a.m., according to the medical examiner's office. He lived on the same block where the shooting happened.

A man was killed and another wounded in a shooting in Humboldt Park on Wednesday evening. The men, ages 25 and 22, were sitting in a vehicle in the 3100 block of West Wabansia about 6 p.m. when someone walked up and shot them before running off, police said.

The older man, identified as 25-year-old Luis Gonzalez, was shot in the head and neck, and was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:35 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner's office. He lived in the 1600 block of North Albany.

The younger man was shot in the lower back and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition stabilized, police said.

A 22-year-old man was shot to death Wednesday evening in the Back of the Yards. Just after 5 p.m., Alejandro Velazquez-Perez was inside a vehicle in the 1700 block of West 46th Street when someone opened fire, hitting him in the side and leg, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Witnesses pulled him into another vehicle and drove to the 4400 block of South Ashland, where they called for help, police said. Velazquez-Perez, of the 4100 block of South St. Louis Avenue, was taken to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead at 5:50 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

A 31-year-old man was found shot to death early Wednesday outside a restaurant in South Shore.

The man, identified by family as Brion Barlow, was found unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds about 1:45 a.m. in the 2400 block of East 72nd Street, according to police. He was dead at the scene.

The body was found on the ground outside the Kennedy Fish & Chicken restaurant. Witnesses said they saw a red SUV speeding away after the shooting.

Barlow, a father of three who had a baby earlier this year, lived in the neighborhood with his grandmother, according to family members.

A 19-year-old man was shot to death Tuesday morning while riding a bicycle in Austin. Cashes McCree was riding in the 1500 block of North Lockwood about 9:30 a.m. when two gunmen walked up and opened fire, according to police and the medical examiner's office.

McCree was shot multiple times in the torso, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He lived less than a mile away in the 900 block of North Lockwood.

Petro Rymar found fatally stabbed inside store in Irving Park

Jeff Mayes — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 16:25:21 -0500

Petro Rymar was found fatally stabbed inside an Irving Park neighborhood shop Friday afternoon.

Officers were called to check out a report of a broken window at the store of Bart's Coins & Collectibles in the 3900 block of North Pulaski about 5 p.m.

The found the 56-year-old Rymar dead with multiple injuries, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 4900 block of North Avers.

Police initially said he had been shot but later determined he had suffered stab wounds. An autopsy ruled his death a homicide. Area North detectives are investigating.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire