Ronald Sawyer | Homicide Watch Chicago

Aunt mourns death of Ronald Sawyer, city's first murder victim of 2014

Michael Lansu — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 15:09:38 -0600

Photo from DNAInfo.com/chicago

BY WILL HAGER
Homicide Watch Chicago

Ronald Sawyer didn’t have children of his own, but the Roseland man had a “heart of gold” toward the neighborhood youths and encouraged them to avoid street life, family said.

Sawyer, 30, was shot about 1:15 p.m. Jan. 3 in the 300 block of West 114th Street, authorities said. He died about three hours later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and became the city’s first murder victim of 2014.

Delores Smith said her nephew loved watching soap operas and working on cars. He was looking for a job and planned to enroll at Chicago State University, she said.

“He will be remembered as one of the most kind-hearted, generous people on earth,” Smith said. “The funeral will speak for itself. I don’t think there will be room for everybody. There will be people coming from all over, and I think that speaks to the type of person he was.”

Sawyer was family-oriented and helped his sister with her college expenses by buying her books and giving her money, Smith said.

Officers found Sawyer, of the 11000 block of South Parnell Avenue, shot in the back, face, hand and buttocks. The shooter ran into an alley and fled in a waiting vehicle, police said.

Nobody has been charged with Sawyer’s murder.

“I won’t say it tore our family apart because I don’t want to give the person who did this any credit,” Smith said. “It only united us closer.”

Comment of the Day: "How many more of our people will lose their lives over some nonsense"

Will Hager — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 15:28:12 -0600

Ronald Sawyer was shot to death Jan. 3 in the Roseland neighborhood in the city's first murder of 2014. Reader "lovingaunt" posted this about him:

When is this black on black crime going to stop? How many more of our people will lose their lives over some nonsense. Lord have mercy on this animal who took my nephew away because u lost. We won. You didn't take our joy, you didn't break us, and most importantly we're still standing, unites as one family.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Five killed in citywide shootings

Michael Lansu — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 08:50:02 -0600

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Five men were shot and dead throughout Chicago last week -- including the first two killings of 2014.

The most recent murder happened when 16-year-old Raymond Galloway was shot about 5:50 a.m. Sunday in the 500 block of East 38th Street, authorities said.

Police responded to a call of shots fired and found Galloway, of the 4300 block of South Champlain Avenue, authorities said. The teen died about 7:30 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

On Friday, Roland Sawyer was shot to death in the Roseland neighborhood in the city's first killing of 2014.

Sawyer, 30, was shot about 1:15 p.m. Friday in the 300 block of West 114th Street, authorities said. Officers responding to a report of a man shot and found Sawyer with gunshot wounds to the face, back, hand and buttocks.

Sawyer, of the 11000 block of South Parnell Avenue, died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn at 4:08 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Tuesday, Vincent Rogers was shot to death during an argument in the 7100 block of South Vincennes Avenue, authorities said.

A man walked up to Rogers, 26, about 8:15 p.m. and the two began arguing. Rogers, of the 7100 block of South Damen Avenue, was shot during the argument and died at the scene, authorities said.

In the Armour Square neighborhood, Donald Galladay fatally shot his son, August Galladay, during an argument in a home in the 3700 block of South Wells Street about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

August Galladay, 25, of the 3700 block of South Wells Street, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital less than an hour later, authorities said.

Donald Galladay, who also lived on the block, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and ordered held on $250,000 bond, authorities said.

On Monday, Eulises Grandos was killed in a drive-by shooting in the 1300 block of West Cermak Road about 2 a.m., authorities said.

Grandos and three other men had left a West Side bar after getting into an argument with another group of men, authorities said. Grandos and his acquaintances drove off in a car when an SUV pulled up and somebody inside opened fire, authorities said.

Grandos, 22, of the 2400 block of South Central Park Avenue, was shot in the head and died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, according to the medical examiner’s office.

A 21-year-old man was also shot in the head and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in “stable” condition, police said. The other men in the car were not wounded.

Ronald Sawyer shot dead in Roseland in first murder of 2014

Michael Lansu — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 12:32:35 -0600

Ronald Sawyer was shot to death Friday afternoon in the Roseland neighborhood in the city's first killing of 2014.

Sawyer, 30, was shot about 1:15 p.m. in the 300 block of West 114th Street, authorities said.

Officers responded to a call of a man shot and found him with gunshot wounds to the face, back, hand and buttocks, police said.

Sawyer, of the 11000 block of South Parnell Avenue, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 4:08 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The shooter ran west into an alley, where he got into a vehicle and fled east on 115th Street, police said.

Area South detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire