Samuel Walker Sr. | Homicide Watch Chicago

Kortillious Gipson charged with murder in Humboldt Park shooting death of Samuel Walker Sr.

Michael Lansu — Thu, 28 May 2015 16:39:39 -0500

Kortillious Gipson / Photo from Chicago Police

BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN AND JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times

Samuel Walker Sr. was killed just six days after his 13-year-old namesake son was murdered.

While no one has been charged with the teenage boy’s shooting, the alleged gunman in the elder Walker’s murder was arrested this week.

Walker was killed in an ongoing territorial drug dispute between two gangs in Humboldt Park and knew his shooter, prosecutors said.

Kortillious Gipson had been chasing after 34-year-old Walker and Walker’s friend on the morning of July 31, 2014, Assistant State’s Attorney Barry Quinn said.

An AT&T worker saw Gipson running after the pair, as did an of-duty security guard who almost hit Gipson with his car at the mouth of an alley at Division Street between Karlov and Kedvale avenues, Quinn said.

Gipson pointed his gun at the security guard, who remained seated in his car, but then went on chasing his prey, authorities said.

Gipson caught up with Walker in the 4100 block of West Crystal Street, jumped on top of a parked vehicle and started firing, striking Walker in the head, buttocks and arm, Quinn said.

A neighbor who knew Gipson by his nickname “Toaster” saw the shooting and later identified him in a line-up, as did the friend who was being chased with Walker, Quinn said.

Samuel Walker Sr. / Family Photo

The security guard had also identified Gipson in a photo array weeks after the murder, Quinn said.

Gipson, 23, allegedly admitted to shooting Walker and chasing him and his friend because they had been threatening his family.

Surveillance video also captured Gipson chasing the men in a black hooded sweatshirt, Quinn said.

Walker had gang affiliations, according to police.

Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered Gipson, of the 1100 block of North Kedvale Avenue, held without bond Thursday.

Gipson, who has a 5-year-old child, has previous convictions for drug and weapons cases.

Walker's son was shot to death less than a week before when someone opened fire on a group in the 700 block of South California Avenue, according to police.

Six other people, including two other teenage boys, were wounded in the 6 p.m. shooting on July 25, 2014, near where a church group was holding a gathering for youth to pray and play games.

The teen was shot in the head and died at the scene, the medical examiner’s office said.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Eight murdered throughout Chicago

Michael Lansu — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 09:50:46 -0500

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Eight people were murdered throughout Chicago last week.

Five of the killings happened over the weekend, when 29 people were shot.

The most recent murder happened when 17-year-old Jerome Harris was shot in the neck in the 1100 block of West 112th Place about 9 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Harris, of the 11000 block of South State Street, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died about an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

In the West Garfield Park neighborhood, 33-year-old Brian Davis was shot in the back in the 4100 block of West Jackson Boulevard about 7:25 p.m. Sunday, authorities said. Davis, of the 200 block of South Central Avenue, died at Mount Sinai Hospital less than an hour later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On the Near North Side, 32-year-old Martrell Ross was fatally shot in the 800 block of North Orleans Street about 3:50 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. Ross, of the 300 block of South Mozart Street, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner's office.

The shooting happened near nightclubs where rappers Nas and Big Boi were holding separate Lollapalooza after parties.

On Friday, 16-year-old Ramon Breceda was shot in the chest in the 2400 block of South Washtenaw Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood about 11:30 p.m., authorities said. Breceda, of the 2700 block of West 23rd Street, died less than an hour later at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, according to the medical examiner's office.

Prosecutors said aspiring Lating Kings Andrew Anania, 18, Ricardo Cortez, 15, and Eduardo Moreno, 15, shot Breceda as part of a gang initiation. All three were charged with first-degree murder.

About the same time in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, 28-year-old Orlando Lomax was stabbed and beaten to death during a fight with four males in the 3900 block of West North Avenue, authorities said.

Lomax, of the 1500 block of North Karlov, died at Mount Sinai Hospital minutes later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the South Shore neighborhood, police found 23-year-old Devin Pope fatally shot in the entryway of an apartment in the 6700 block of South Clyde Avenue about 3:40 a.m. Friday, authorities said.

Pope, of the 7200 block of South Paxton Avenue, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Thursday, 34-year-old Samuel Walker Sr. was fatally shot in a driveway in the 4100 block of West Crystal Street in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, authorities said.

The killing happened just two days before the funeral for his slain 13-year-old son, Samuel Walker Jr., who was fatally shot a week earlier in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

The killings started when 49-year-old Alvin Ivy was shot in the 200 block of South Western Avenue about 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to authorities. Police said Ivy and two teenagers were standing outside when a male exited a dark car and opened fire.

Ivy, of the 1300 block of South Kedzie Avenue, was shot in the chest and died at Stroger Hospital a short time later, authorities said. The teenagers, 17 and 18, were each shot in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital for treatment, police said.

Additionally, 46-year-old Antwan James, of the 8000 block of South Carpenter Street, died Sunday morning after being shot July 21 in an alley in the 1200 block of West 72nd Place, authorities said.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 239 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including nine 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, have ruled some of those homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.

Father of slain teen Samuel Walker Jr. fatally shot in Humboldt Park

Michael Lansu — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 18:36:09 -0500

Samuel Walker Sr. (left) and Samuel Walker Jr. (right) / Family photo

BY BRIAN SLODYSKO AND MICHAEL LANSU
Chicago Sun-Times

Samuel Walker Sr. had been preparing for the funeral of his teenage son, Samuel Walker Jr., who was gunned down last Friday in East Garfield Park.

Now his family must decide whether to hold a joint memorial instead.

On Thursday, the elder Walker was shot to death in a Humboldt Park gangway — just two days before his 13-year-old son was to be laid to rest.

Walker just had his hair cut, and was on his way to get a cigarette, when he came across his killer near Division and Keeler about 9 a.m., those close to him said.

Authorities said Walker, a member of the Vice Lords street gang, bolted north up Keeler and into a gangway, attempting to flee the gunman, who chased him on foot.

Neighborhood resident Gail Reynolds, 54, said she was sitting on a bench beneath a tree when she saw a man run past on the other side of the street, followed by the crackle of gunfire. Walker was shot in the head and torso. He died at the scene, authorities said.

“That’s a cold motherf - - - - - who wants to shoot a motherf- - - - - in the morning,” Reynolds said. “I’m glad he didn’t shoot me.”

By noon, hundreds of onlookers gathered to mourn. An eerie silence crept over the crowd when authorities hoisted Walker’s body off the driveway and into a police wagon to be taken away.

Family members were upset and complained that his body had been lying outside more than three hours.

“Ants and s - - - are crawling all over him,” one relative said.

Later, firefighters hosed down the gangway, flushing Walker’s blood out to the street.

Family and friends gave conflicting accounts on whether Walker was a gang member. He had a criminal record, with convictions for weapons and stolen goods charges, according to court records. He also was facing an April 2014 charge of unlawful solicitation of a business and was charged with possession of marijuana in July.

Despite differing accounts about his gang affiliation, those close to him agreed the father of five was a “good person” who was well-known throughout the neighborhood — the kind guy who would keep an eye out for folks who lived on the block.

They noted that Walker was a rapper who put out his own CDs. He also loved hot wings, but was a terrible cook, said Monica Butler, 34, an ex-girlfriend, who remained close to Walker and saw him Thursday before he was killed. Butler insisted that Walker was not in a gang.

Butler said friends and family were still reeling from the death of Walker’s son, who was walking to buy some chips when he was killed last Friday evening in what police think was a gang-related shooting near California and Flournoy. Samuel Jr. was shot to death when someone opened fire on a group of people. Six other people, including two other teenage boys, were wounded in that shooting.

Scene where Samuel Walker Sr. was shot / Photo by Michael Lansu

“We were getting prepared for his son’s funeral and now we have got another one,” Butler said.

“He wasn’t even able to bury his own son,” added her sister, Barbara Figueroa, 46.

Sandra Williams, the boy’s aunt, said he had just finished summer school and planned to attend Manley Career Academy next school year.

“He was a good kid. He loved basketball and swimming,” she said on the steps of her sister’s home last Saturday.

On Thursday, the Rev. James Stevenson of nearby New Hope Missionary Baptist Church said the area where Walker was killed has been “extremely hot” with conflict.

“Every time I turn on the news, kids are getting killed,” said Samuel Walker Sr.’s aunt, who asked not to be named. “Do we have to wear bulletproof garments from our head to our toes?”

On July 1, 16-year-old Lafayette Walker was shot to death footsteps from where Samuel Walker Sr. was killed. Lafayette Walker was not related to Samuel Walker Sr.

“This stuff is like an epidemic,” Stevenson said.

-- Contributing: LeeAnn Shelton