Sauvignon Redd Watkins | Homicide Watch Chicago

WEEK IN REVIEW: 13 killed in Chicago violence, including man who was among three shot inside Starbucks in Uptown

Jeff Mayes — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 09:05:28 -0600

At least thirteen people died from violence in Chicago during the week of October 30 through November 5, six over the weekend alone, including a man shot inside a Starbucks in the Uptown neighborhood.

Police investigate a shooting that killed a man and wounded two other people, including a 12-year-old boy, Thursday night at a Starbucks in the Uptown neighborhood. | Nader Issa/Sun-Times

In a Starbucks in the Uptown neighborhood, a man was killed and two other people were wounded, including a 12-year-old boy, in a shooting Thursday night. The incident began with a drug deal nearby, according to Town Hall District Cmdr. Marc Buslik. Just after 8 p.m., a person in a ski mask chased 28-year-old Sauvignon Watkins into the Starbucks at 4753 N. Broadway and shot him, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Watkins, who lived in the Avalon Park neighborhood, was pronounced dead at the scene. The 12-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound to the groin and was being treated at Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was in good condition, police said. A 24-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in serious condition. No one was in custody as Area North detectives investigated.

Other homicides last week included:

A 38-year-old man was killed in a shooting Sunday evening in the South Chicago neighborhood. Paris Thompson was sitting outside about 7:20 p.m. in the 7900 block of South East End Avenue when another male walked up and fired shots, according to police and the medical examiner's office. Thompson, who lived a few blocks away, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, back and neck, authorities said. He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced about 45 minutes later.
A 36-year-old man was shot to death Sunday afternoon in the West Town neighborhood. Ronald Terrel James was sitting in a vehicle at 4:26 p.m. in the 100 block of North Hermitage when someone walked up and shot him in the head, according to police. James, a Humboldt Park resident, was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital.
A man was shot to death early Sunday in the Washington Heights neighborhood on the Far South Side. At 1:24 a.m., officers responding to a call of shots fired in the 10500 block of South Green found 26-year-old Alonte Barber in an alley with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police and the medical examiner's office. Barber was pronounced dead at the scene. He lived in the South Side Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
A woman was killed and a man wounded Saturday night in a shooting at a West Pullman neighborhood party on the Far South Side. They were at a party shortly before midnight at an apartment in the 100 block of East 117th Place when shots rang out, according to police. Pamela Enge, 37, was shot in the head and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she died at 1:39 a.m., the medical examiner’s office said. She lived in the Far South Side Roseland neighborhood. The man, 25, was also taken to Christ with a gunshot wound to the right leg, police said. His condition was stabilized.
A 29-year-old Dolton man died Saturday, four days after he was shot in the Far South Side Morgan Park neighborhood on Halloween. About 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Joseph Gates was standing in the 11300 block of South Aberdeen when a vehicle pulled up and someone inside began shooting, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Gates was shot in the left buttocks, left hip and right knee, police said. He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 7:33 a.m. Saturday.
A 29-year-old man was found shot to death Saturday morning in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Juan Jose Martinez Serrano was found at 3:44 a.m. sitting in his car in the 3900 block of West 47th Street, police said. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his head, and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. His home address was unknown.
A 29-year-old man was shot to death Thursday night in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side. Officers found Rahsaan E. Adams suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle just after 10 p.m. in the 11200 block of South Perry, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Adams, who lived in the West Englewood neighborhood, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.
A 24-year-old man was shot to death Wednesday afternoon in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. At 2:21 p.m., Steven Edward Wheeler was shot in the upper back in the 3300 block of West Congress Parkway, according to police and the medical examiner's office. The circumstances of the shooting were not known. Wheeler was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy showed he died of a gunshot wound to the back. He lived in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side.
A man died after being shot and crashing his vehicle Wednesday morning in the South Chicago neighborhood. At 10:52 a.m., 22-year-old Jeromee D. Russell was driving in the 2700 block of East 80th Street when he was shot multiple times, police said. He then crashed his car into another vehicle. Russell, whom the medical examiner’s office said lived on the South Side, was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy showed he died of a gunshot wound to the chest.
A 63-year-old man died after he was shot multiple times Tuesday morning in the South Shore neighborhood. Harold Stewart was shot in the head and upper body about 9:05 a.m. in the 7300 block of South Oglesby, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He was found unresponsive at the scene by officers responding to a call of a person shot. Stewart was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:22 a.m., authorities said. He lived in the same block as the shooting. Area Central detectives were reviewing surveillance footage from the area.
A man died after he was shot in the head and crashed his vehicle Tuesday morning in the West Side Austin neighborhood. At 8:24 a.m., Apache White, 47, was inside a vehicle during a drug sale when someone walked up with a gun and shot him in the head in the first block of South Lockwood, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. White drove off from the shooting, but collided with another vehicle about a block away, causing his vehicle to flip over near Monroe and Lockwood, authorities said. He was taken to Loretto Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He lived in the Galewood neighborhood. A second person who was in the vehicle with White was not hurt.

—Homicide Watch Chicago

Sauvignon Watkins killed, 12-year-old boy and man injured when gunman opens fire in Uptown Starbucks

Jeff Mayes — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 10:33:34 -0600

By NADER ISSA, MATTHEW HENDRICKSON, SAM CHARLES and JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times

Police investigate a shooting that killed a man and wounded two other people, including a 12-year-old boy, Thursday night at a Starbucks in the Uptown neighborhood. | Nader Issa/Sun-Times

Sauvignon Watkins was killed in a shooting at a Starbucks in Uptown that also left two other people injured, including a 12-year-old boy, a crime that may have been caused by a drug deal gone wrong, according to police.

Watkins, a 28-year-old father of two from the Avalon Park neighborhood, was fatally shot Thursday evening in the Starbucks at 4753 N. Broadway, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The incident started with a drug deal near Broadway and Wilson, according to Town Hall District Cmdr. Marc Buslik. Police said Watkins and a 24-year-old man who was also wounded were involved in the transaction.

The 12-year-old and 24-year-old were inside the Starbucks when the shooting began, Buslik said. Police said the boy was “not connected to the incident.”

Just after 8 p.m., a person wearing a ski mask chased Watkins into the coffee shop and opened fired, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Sauvignon Redd Watkins | Facebook

Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said, though it was unclear where on the body he was shot.

The boy suffered a gunshot wound to the groin and was treated at Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was in good condition, police said. The 24-year-old was shot in the abdomen and was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center in serious condition.

Police said a weapon and narcotics were found on Watkins.

“As far as we can tell, this was not a random act,” Buslik said.

Kendra Nance, 26, who lives in the neighborhood, was walking at Broadway and Lawrence when she heard four shots. She walked to the Starbucks and saw people running and a man lying inside.

“There was a lot of blood,” Nance said.

The Starbucks, inside the historic Bridgeview Bank building, was closed Friday, according to a statement on its website.

“We were saddened to learn of the passing of a young man and the injury of two others as a result of gun violence at our store,” the statement said.

“The store will be closed tomorrow morning (Friday) as we focus on our local store partners, ensuring they have the support they need. We will continue to support law enforcement in their investigation,” the statement said.

A GoFundMe page set up to help with funeral expenses for Watkins had raised more than $3,100 towards a $6,000 goal as of Tuesday morning.

On his Facebook page, Ald. James Cappleman (46th) wrote: “Prayers of peace & comfort for those injured tonight, and to the family of the young man who was killed. Such senseless violence tonight.”

Cappleman also blasted the Starbucks as being complicit in drug dealing.

“I will not tolerate businesses that do not work with the police and my office to maintain safety,” Cappleman said in a statement. “We have had issues for years with illegal activity at this business, with very little response or help from Starbucks’ management to correct the problems.”

A spokesman for Starbucks said Friday that the coffee shop chain was “disappointed by the alderman’s comments,” which do not align with the CPD’s version of events.

“As it has been reported by local law enforcement, our store was not central to the crime that took place,” Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges said. “For him to suggest that that was the case, it was not accurate based on what we’ve seen from local law enforcement.”

Borges said the Uptown store has added additional exterior security cameras in recent years and has requested an additional lock be placed on the rear entrance to the Bridgeview Bank Building, though he could not speak to any enhanced security requests made by Cappleman.

Cappleman said that, since 2013, he has hosted regular meetings with a group of local businesses to discuss ways to improve public safety in Uptown.

“Starbucks has rarely come to those meetings,” Cappleman said.

The alderman said that, as police have targeted drug activity at the intersection of Lawrence and Sheridan, “We noticed that the drug dealers went to the path of least resistance” and “started drifting over to Starbucks.”

“That’s the issue: When you address gang and drug activity, when you get them out of one area, they go someplace else.”

Violence and drug activity within the immediate area of the Starbucks — Beat 1914, which covers the area from Lawrence to Montrose, Clark to Lake Michigan — has been relatively common for years.

No one was in custody as of Tuesday afternoon as Area North Detectives investigate. The alderman said camera footage of the incident is being checked.