Tim Triplett | Homicide Watch Chicago

Comment of the Day: "Wished he would've let his hoop dreams get him away from The Chi to see another way of life"

Michael Lansu — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 15:58:40 -0500

Former Marshall high school basketball star Tim Triplett was shot to death April 26 in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. Reader "warrmack" posted this about him:

Wished he would've let his hoop dreams get him away from The Chi to see another way of life. RIP Tim.

PHOTOS: Memorial for former Marshall star Tim Triplett

Michael Lansu — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 15:14:22 -0500

Former West Side basketball star Tim Triplett, 20, was fatally shot Sunday afternoon in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. A memorial was was erected in his honor where he was shot in the 3500 block of West Flournoy Street.

Scene where Tim Triplett was killed / Photo by Emily Brosious

WEEK IN REVIEW: Ten shot dead throughout Chicago

Michael Lansu — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 09:26:26 -0500

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago

Ten people were shot to death throughout Chicago last week.

Four of the killings happened over the weekend, when at least 22 other people were wounded by gunfire.

The most recent killing happened when for high school basketball star Tim Triplett was found shot to death in the 3500 block of West Flournoy Street at 12:40 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Triplett, of the 4400 block of West Adams Street, was shot multiple times and died less than an hour later at Mount Sinai Hospital, authorities said.

Triplett was a standout basketball player at Crane and Marshall. He also briefly attended Farragut.

On Saturday, 18-year-old Javante Linson was found shot multiple times in a gangway in the 3400 block of South Hamilton Avenue about 1 a.m., authorities said.

Linson, of the 2700 block of West Lexington Street, had been shot in the head and abdomen and died at the scene, authorities said.

On Friday, 19-year-old Nicole M. Towns was shot as she left a party in the 9300 block of South LaSalle Street in Roseland when a gunman opened fire about 11 p.m., police said.

Towns, 19, of the 7400 block of South Michigan Avenue, was shot in the side and died at the scene, authorities said. Two other people were wounded, police said.

In the Marquette Park community, 26-year-old Rashad A. Abdullah was outside in the 7000 block of South Talman Avenue when two people approached from behind and shot him about 10 a.m., authorities said.

Abdullah, who lived on the block, died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn about an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On Thursday, 16-year-old Amari Sutton was found shot in the chest and neck outside in the 1400 block of East 73rd Street in South Shore about 6 p.m., authorities said.

Sutton, who lived on the block, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Tuesday, 33-year-old Myron Mason fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, 28-year-old Mechelle Lewis, outside her home in the 7200 block of South Bennett Avenue in South Shore about 9:50 p.m., prosecutors said.

After the shooting, the man took Lewis' two children — an 8-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy — and drove to the Grand Crossing District police station, where he was taken into custody, police said.

Mason, of the 8600 block of South Kingston Avenue, is being held without bond.

In North Lawndale, 21-year-old Jaquille Reams was inside a store in the 3400 block of West Ogden Avenue when he was shot several times about 1 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

Reams, of the 100 block of North Lamon Avenue, died less than an hour later at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In Bronzeville, 26-year-old Jeremy Collins was shot multiple times while driving in the 400 block of East 47th Street about 2:20 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

Collins, of the 700 block of North Monticello Avenue, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Monday, 21-year-old D'Montre Smith was standing in the 10200 block of South May Street in Washington Heights when a car drove past and somebody inside shot Smith in the chest 10:30 p.m., authorities said.

Smith, who lived on the block, later died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said.

The killings started when 18-year-old Marshawn Flemon Jr. was shot in the back about in the 6000 block of South King Drive about 2:45 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

Flemon, of the 6800 block of South Wabash Avenue, died at Stroger Hospital about an hour later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In 2015, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 117 Chicago deaths a homicide, including one person fatally shot by police.

Tim Triplett, former prep basketball standout, shot to death in East Garfield Park

Michael Lansu — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 09:07:56 -0500

Tim Triplett / Sun-Times file photo

BY MICHAEL O'BRIEN, MICHAEL LANSU AND REEMA AMIN
Chicago Sun-Times

On the spot where they found Tim Triplett, wounded and dying, a single white candle stood Monday afternoon.

Nearby, a small memorial — blue balloons, blue sign — was attached to a tree.

The former high school basketball star was shot and killed Sunday in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side.

A neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said he was inside watching a John Wayne movie (“Undefeated”) on Sunday afternoon when he heard two shots.

He then saw the victim lying on the ground.

The neighbor said he still feels safe sitting on his front porch in the afternoon — but, he added: “Any kind of noise, and I’m gone.”

Triplett, 20, a former high school basketball star, was found outside in the 3500 block of West Flournoy Street at 12:40 p.m., authorities said.

Police said he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Triplett, of the 4400 block of West Adams Street, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:15 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Triplett was a standout basketball player at Crane and Marshall.

“He was a great leader. He came over to my building for a year and he was my team captain,” said Henry Cotton, Marshall’s head basketball coach.

“I just spoke with him on Saturday. He had signed up for summer classes at Wright College. They were starting in a couple weeks.”

Triplett’s death was just the latest tragedy to hit home at Marshall. In January 2014, assistant coach Shawn Harrington was shot while driving his daughter to school; he survived, but remains paralyzed. His daughter was unhurt.

“It’s been hard,” Cotton said of the double tragedies. “Nothing has been easy. They have the crisis team here to talk with the guys today and they are just letting them vent.”

Triplett also briefly attended Farragut.

“I’ve known him since he was a shorty coming out of elementary,” said Farragut basketball coach William Nelson. “He was one of those guys that was just so tough and spirited on the court. A vocal guy, he could really get after it. He just played so hard.”

Nelson said that Triplett’s younger brother was a victim of gun violence as well.

“His mother has lost two kids in like three years,” said Nelson. “He lived on the same block I grew up on. It’s rough. You are almost afraid to leave the house.”

Orr basketball coach Lou Adams’ son, Lou Adams Jr., was good friends with Triplett.

“My son called me, he’s just really upset,” said Adams. “(Triplett) was just a great kid.”

Tim Anderson, Triplett’s coach at Crane, described Triplett as “loyal and fun-loving.”

“[Triplett] has a boy and a girl,” said Anderson. “His daughter is about a year old. He was the kind of guy that was trying to do the right thing. A lot of times people don’t understand how close basketball and the streets are with one another.”

Ola Arogundade, a friend and AAU basketball teammate, said: “Tim was a passionate and fiery player . . . he always had your back, no matter what the score.”

“Tim was always trying to have fun. He liked going out, kicking it. . . . He always wanted to hang out with girls,” Arogundade said.

Triplett, whose favorite player was Derrick Rose, liked to dress flashy, especially wearing True Religion and Nike, Arogundade said.