William Lewis | Homicide Watch Chicagohttp://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-lewis/Latest news about William Lewisen-usFri, 29 May 2015 12:45:49 -0500Rapper Young Pappy shot to death in Uptownhttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2015/05/29/rapper-young-pappy-shot-to-death-in-uptown/<img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2015/05/ShaquonThomas-300x236.jpg" alt="Shaquon Thomas / Photo from YouTube" width="300" height="236" class="size-medium wp-image-11378" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Shaquon Thomas / Photo from YouTube</p> <p>BY MICHAEL LANSU<br /> Homicide Watch Chicago</p> <p>Chicago rapper Young Pappy, who had previously been the intended target in at least two shootings that left bystanders dead, was himself fatally shot early Friday in the Uptown neighborhood.</p> <p><a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/shaquon-thomas/">Shaquon Thomas</a>, 19, was in the 4800 block of North Kenmore Avenue when gunfire erupted about 1:35 a.m., authorities said. Witnesses reported seeing a black car that may have been associated with the shooting, <a href="http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=064a4eb35bd70aef6394f83eb&#038;id=2a60461e2e">according to a statement from Ald. Harry Osterman (48th Ward)</a>.</p> <p>The shooting happened across the street from St. Thomas of Canterbury Catholic church.</p> <p>Paramedics took Thomas to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was declared dead at 2:04 a.m., authorities said.<br /> <span id="more-11375"></span><br /> <iframe src="http://homicides.suntimes.com/api/v1/homicides/1040.html" width="100%" height="350" frameborder=0></iframe></p> <p>Uptown resident Kristin Johnson said it is not unusual to hear gunshots in the neighborhood.</p> <p>"I heard about 10 gunshots and went to the window to peek out, but I didn't see anything," Johnson said.</p> <p>Johnson, 34, said she initially used to wonder if the loud noises in the neighborhood were gunshots or fireworks, but she has since become desensitized to them.</p> <p>"I used to feel more safe [in Uptown] ... but I'm a mom now," Johnson said while holding her young child. "It's different when its just you."</p> <p>Osterman said he has requested "additional security in our area to curb the possibility of retaliatory actions."</p> <p>Thomas rapped under the moniker Young Pappy. The up-and-coming musician was not signed to a record label, but his song "Killa" has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Np8vCO0hQ">more than 250,000 views on YouTube</a>. Another song, "Fanteo Freestyle," has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8YFwny-N1o">nearly 225,000 views</a>.</p> <p>As word of the rapper's death spread, fans, including Cliff Alexander, a standout basketball player at Curie Metropolitan High School and the University of Kansas, took to social media to express their condolences:</p> <p><img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2015/05/Tweet3-500x212.jpg" alt="Tweet3" width="500" height="212" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-11386" /></p> <p>The rapper was born on the North Side and makes music because "it puts him in a positive mood," according to his Facebook page.</p> <p>Authorities listed Thomas' home address as the 6300 block of North Lakewood Avenue, but a resident at the building said he only occasionally stayed there with his father, who recently moved out.</p> <p>Thomas' family could not be reached for comment.</p> <p>"He was always happy, he always had everybody positive around him, always had a smile on his face," according to a friend, who is not being identified because he is a juvenile. "He was just happy all the time, hanging out with his friends. He was always cracking jokes."</p> <p>According to the rapper's Facebook page, he hoped to use music to support his family and the family of a friend killed in street violence.</p> <p>"He expressed all his feelings in his music, that's how he expressed himself," according to the friend. "That's how he let everything out basically."</p> <p>Prior to his death, the rapper posted on his Facebook page: "All he wanted me to do was make it. He campaigned my music the hardest out of anybody I knew. I love bro and I'm gonna do this for him cause this what he wanted."</p> <p>Thomas himself was no stranger to street violence and run-ins with the law.</p> <p>In 2013, Thomas was sentenced to one year in prison for felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, according to court records. He was given credit for time served.</p> <p>He also has numerous misdemeanor arrests, mostly recently a May 13 disorderly conduct and possession of cannabis charge, according to court records. <a href="http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150512/edgewater/young-pappy-mixtape-release-party-led-swat-standoff-rapper-charged">According to DNAinfo Chicago</a>, that charge came from a record release party that led to a five-hour police standoff and 31 people arrested.</p> <p>Thomas had twice been the target in shootings that instead killed innocent bystanders <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-lewis/">William Lewis</a> and <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/markeyo-carr/">Markeyo Carr</a>, according to authorities and <a href="http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150529/uptown/rapper-young-pappy-killed-had-been-target-of-other-fatal-shootings">DNAinfo Chicago</a>. <img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2015/05/PoliceTape-300x300.jpg" alt="Police Tape where Shaquon Thomas was fatally shot." width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-11388" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Police Tape where Shaquon Thomas was fatally shot.</p></p> <p>Osterman confirmed that Thomas "had been a target in other gang-related shootings in Edgewater and Rogers Park."</p> <p>Lewis, 28, was standing in the 1300 block of West Devon Avenue when a gunman walked up and shot him in the back about 3:20 p.m. July 12, authorities said.</p> <p>Lewis escaped poverty in Guatemala when he was adopted at age 7. Loving parents raised him in Wisconsin, where he found his two passions: <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/14/photographer-wil-lewis-killed-in-rogers-park-shooting/">photography and the woman who would become his wife</a>.</p> <p>He attended art school in Milwaukee and moved to Chicago two years ago. Lewis and his wife moved into an apartment in the 4700 block of North Hermitage Avenue just two weeks before his death, according to a friend.</p> <p>Prosecutors claim 31-year-old Conservative Vice Lord <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/eric-vaughn/">Eric Vaughn</a> spotted a rival gang member, handed 15-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/denzel-burke/">Denzel Burke</a> a gun and Burke and 17-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/michael-phillips/">Michael Phillips</a> chased their rival through Rogers Park.</p> <p>Burke fired 10 times, <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/08/15/gang-order-to-shooter-wet-that-t-shirt-up/">missing the rival but striking Lewis in the back as he stood at a nearby bus stop</a>, prosecutors said.</p> <p>On Feb. 5, 2014, a masked gunman fatally shot Carr, 17, and wounded three others in a McDonald’s parking lot in the 6700 block of North Clark Street.</p> <p>The victims had been in an argument with another group of people shortly before the masked gunman approached, police said.</p> <p>Jaunita Carr-Clay, Carr’s aunt, said her nephew loved to rap.</p> <p>“He made little videos at home on his own,” she said. “He was very talented. He rapped about everyday life, reality.”</p> <p>She said Carr, who attended a nearby high school, had just come from his mother’s house around the corner. “She’d given him a few dollars to get something to eat.”</p> <p>Nobody has been charged for Carr's death.</p> <p>A police spokeswoman declined to confirm Thomas' role in the deaths of Lewis and Carr, citing "an open and on-going investigation."</p> <p>-- Contributing: Matt McCall</p> <p><span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='500' height='312' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/7N7UVkA2vts?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen='true'></iframe></span><br /> -- Network Video Productions</p> Michael LansuFri, 29 May 2015 12:45:49 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2015/05/29/rapper-young-pappy-shot-to-death-in-uptown/Markeyo CarrWilliam LewisShaquon ThomasDenzel BurkeMichael PhillipsEric VaughnGang order to shooter: ‘Wet that T-shirt up’http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/08/15/gang-order-to-shooter-wet-that-t-shirt-up/<img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2014/08/DenzelBurke.jpg" alt="Denzel Burke / Photo from Racine County (Wis.) Sheriff&#039;s office" width="225" height="300" class="size-full wp-image-7607" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Denzel Burke / Photo from Racine County (Wis.) Sheriff's office</p> <p>BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN<br /> Chicago Sun-Times</p> <p>When 15-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/denzel-burke/">Denzel Burke</a> received an order from an older Conservative Vice Lord to shoot at a rival they spotted on a sidewalk in Rogers Park, he and his teenage pal dutifully got out of the car they were traveling in and chased their prey, Cook County prosecutors alleged Friday.</p> <p>“Wet that T-shirt up,” <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/eric-vaughn/">Eric Vaughn</a> allegedly told Burke, encouraging him to wound the 19-year-old target before handing Burke a loaded gun on the afternoon of July 12.</p> <p>Passersby also heard Burke’s friend, <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/michael-phillips/">Michael Phillips</a>, 17, further embolden Burke as the two chased after the other teen in the 1300 block of West Devon Avenue, Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini said Friday.<br /> <span id="more-7606"></span><br /> <iframe src="http://homicides.suntimes.com/api/v1/homicides/649.html" width="100%" height="350" frameborder=0></iframe></p> <p>“Get his ass,” Phillips allegedly said as Burke fired 10 times, missing the rival but striking photographer <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-lewis/">Wil Lewis</a> in the back as he stood at a nearby bus stop, Santini said.</p> <p>After the shooting, Burke allegedly unloaded his weapon on Devon Avenue, and Phillips was heard urging him to flee: “Come on.”</p> <p>Lewis, who had moved to Rogers Park with his wife two weeks before and was about to start a job as a staff photographer for an online men’s clothing store, died from his wounds less than an hour later at a nearby hospital.</p> <p>Ald. Joe Moore (49th) witnessed the shooting as did another person who took pictures of Burke and Phillips as they made their escape, authorities said.</p> <p>The two teens traveled to Racine, Wis. following the arrest of the 31-year-old Vaughn, authorities said.</p> <p>They were taken into custody there earlier this month and extradited back to Chicago on Wednesday.</p> <p>Burke and Phillips were both identified in line-ups and admitted their roles in the murder, Santini said.</p> <p>Vaughn, of the 4400 block of North Claredon Avenue, was ordered held without bond last month.</p> <p>Judge Donald Panarese Jr. on Friday called Burke “dangerous” and also ordered him held without bond on murder and attempted murder charges.<img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2014/07/WilliamLewis-200x300.jpg" alt="William Lewis / Submitted photo" width="200" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-7122" /><p class="wp-caption-text">William Lewis / Submitted photo</p></p> <p>Phillips was ordered held in lieu of $1.5 million bail.</p> <p>Burke was arrested as a juvenile this year for a robbery and a domestic battery involving his mother, Santini said.</p> <p>Phillips, who goes by the nickname “Tay Black,” admitted guilt in a 2011 assault and a 2012 aggravated battery, according to records.</p> <p>Burke, of the 800 block of West Grace Street, completed 9th grade at Lake View High School, Assistant Public Defender Ruth McBeth said.</p> <p>Phillips has completed 10th grade, McBeth said. </p> Michael LansuFri, 15 Aug 2014 16:19:58 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/08/15/gang-order-to-shooter-wet-that-t-shirt-up/William LewisDenzel BurkeMichael PhillipsEric VaughnUPDATE: Two more held in photographer Wil Lewis' murderhttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/08/04/update-two-more-held-in-photographer-wil-lewis-murder/<img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2014/07/WilliamLewis-200x300.jpg" alt="William Lewis / Submitted photo" width="200" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-7122" /><p class="wp-caption-text">William Lewis / Submitted photo</p> <p>BY MITCH DUDEK<br /> Chicago Sun-Times</p> <p>To feel closer to him, every day Maria Lewis visits the bus stop where her husband, <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-lewis/">Wil</a>, was killed by stray gang gunfire last month in Rogers Park.</p> <p>She sits against a building, beneath a bullet hole in a window frame — the last remnant of the afternoon Wil died, and she tells him what’s been happening since then. He was 28.</p> <p>On Thursday, she had good news: Detectives phoned to tell her that the person they think pulled the trigger, as well as an accomplice who fled on foot, had been arrested in Racine, Wis., where they were hiding out.<br /> <span id="more-7464"></span><br /> Maria Lewis, 30, shared the details of her life on a memorial website dedicated to raising money to cover funeral costs and a scholarship in Wil’s name. </p> <p>“I’ve been very busy with all those things related to death of a spouse. For now, I’m staying in Chicago so I can feel closer to Wil,” she said in an entry posted Thursday.</p> <p><a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/michael-phillips/">Michael Phillips</a>, 17, and <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/denzel-burke/">Denzel Burke</a>, 15, were in the custody of the Racine County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday night. They were arrested last week on first-degree murder warrants that had been issued in Cook County. Phillips lives in the Uptown neighborhood, in the 800 block of West Windsor Avenue, about a mile from Burke’s home in the 800 block of West Grace Street in Lake View.</p> <p>“For me this is very bitter sweet, I am happy but so very sad. I guess it is a baby step toward closure,” Maria wrote on the website.</p> <p>She also recounts the last few hours of Wil’s life, details she cobbled together through receipts. He bought nine red bins at an office supply shop “to make our ugly shelf more presentable.”</p> <p>“After that at 2:12 he ate lunch at Jimmy Johns. Which I was surprised at because he does not like JJ; it must have been the best thing he walked past that had food.”</p> <p>After that, he began to walk home and was passing a bus stop when gunfire rang out.</p> <p><iframe src="http://homicides.suntimes.com/api/v1/homicides/649.html" width="100%" height="350" frameborder=0></iframe></p> <p>Maria wrote that she learned that nearby residents and passersby pointed out one of the suspects to police, snapped photos of people fleeing the scene, and rushed to Wil’s side in his final moments.</p> <p>“I was told there were multiple civilians that rushed to help Wil, so he was not alone. I am thankful for swift justice and lots of evidence but I am most thankful that caring and kind souls didn’t let Wil perish alone on the street.</p> <p>“Thank you again for your support and prayers. I am glad I don’t have to go through this alone.”</p> <p>Last week’s arrests came about two weeks after <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/eric-vaughn/">Eric Vaughn</a>, 31, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He was accused of handing the gun to one of the passengers in his car and ordering him to shoot a rival gang member. He allegedly told the gunman to “wet that T-shirt up” — meaning make the rival gang member bleed.<img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2014/07/Vaughn-Eric-240x300.jpg" alt="Eric Vaughn / Photo from Chicago Police" width="240" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-7126" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Eric Vaughn / Photo from Chicago Police</p></p> <p>Two passengers got out of the car and fired about 10 shots at the rival. The 19-year-old intended target was not struck, but Wil Lewis was shot in the back. </p> <p>Vaughn was arrested on foot shortly after the shooting when witnesses identified him to police as the driver of the vehicle. Vaughn, of the 4400 block of North Clarendon Avenue, was ordered held on no bail.</p> <p>The warrant for Burke carried a bail of $750,000. Phillips’ warrant ordered that the teen be held without bail.</p> <p>Lewis, who had just moved into a new apartment in Rogers Park with his wife, was about to start a new job as a photographer for Trunk Club, an online men’s clothing store, when he was killed. He had escaped poverty in Guatemala when he was adopted at age 7. He was raised in Wisconsin, attended art school in Milwaukee and moved to Chicago two years ago. </p> <p><span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='500' height='312' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/-NfN7mugsJw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></p> Michael LansuMon, 04 Aug 2014 07:12:47 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/08/04/update-two-more-held-in-photographer-wil-lewis-murder/William LewisDenzel BurkeMichael PhillipsEric VaughnVIDEO: Family, Rogers Park community remember slain photographer Wil Lewishttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/31/video-family-rogers-park-community-remember-slain-photographer-wil-lewis/<p><span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='500' height='312' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/-NfN7mugsJw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></p> Michael LansuThu, 31 Jul 2014 09:00:07 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/31/video-family-rogers-park-community-remember-slain-photographer-wil-lewis/William LewisComment of the Day: "Wil was an example of a truly genuine, awesome human being and will be missed dearly"http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/23/comment-of-the-day-wil-was-an-example-of-a-truly-genuine-awesome-human-being-and-will-be-missed-dearly/<p>Photographer <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-lewis/">Wil Lewis</a> was fatally shot by an errant bullet while waiting for a bus in the Rogers Park neighborhood this month, prosecutors said. Reader "cerajae" posted this about him:</p> <blockquote><p>Wil was an example of a truly genuine, awesome human being and will be missed dearly. We were born 3 days apart on two separate continents but met in middle school and were meant to be friends. Guillermo, I'll miss you bud. Birthday buds forever man!</p></blockquote> Michael LansuWed, 23 Jul 2014 16:00:00 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/23/comment-of-the-day-wil-was-an-example-of-a-truly-genuine-awesome-human-being-and-will-be-missed-dearly/William LewisProsecutors: Eric Vaughn handed gun to person who fatally shot William Lewis in Rogers Parkhttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/14/eric-vaughn-charged-with-murder-in-rogers-park-shooting-death-of-william-lewis/<img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2014/07/Vaughn-Eric-240x300.jpg" alt="Eric Vaughn / Photo from Chicago Police" width="240" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-7126" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Eric Vaughn / Photo from Chicago Police</p> <p>BY MICHAEL LANSU<br /> Homicide Watch Chicago Editor</p> <p><a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/suspects/eric-vaughn/">Eric Vaughn</a> was sentenced to seven years in prison for a 2004 attempted murder conviction. Now he is being held without bond on murder charges for his alleged role in a Saturday afternoon shooting on the North Side that left innocent bystander <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-lewis/">William Lewis</a> dead.</p> <p>Vaughn, a purported member of the Conservative Vice Lords street gang, was driving his car when another person in the car saw a rival gang member walking in the 1300 block of West Devon Avenue about 3:20 p.m. Saturday, said Assistant State's Attorney Glen Runk.</p> <p>Vaughn stopped the car, pulled a gun from the center console, gave it to one of the passengers and said "wet that T-shirt up," meaning make the rival gang member bleed, Runk said.</p> <p>Two passengers exited the car and fired about 10 shots at the suspected rival, Runk said. The 19-year-old intended target was not struck, but Wil Lewis was shot in the back as he waited at a nearby bus stop, Runk said.<br /> <span id="more-7125"></span><br /> <iframe src="http://homicides.suntimes.com/api/v1/homicides/649.html" width="100%" height="350" frameborder=0></iframe></p> <p>Ald. Joe Moore (49th) said he witnessed the shooting.</p> <p>“I happened to be on Devon only a block from the shooting and heard the gunfire,” he said in a statement. “I looked up to see the assailant, who appeared to be a teenager, continue to fire his weapon at a group of fleeing youths. It is something I will never forget.”</p> <p>Lewis, 28, of the 4700 block of North Hermitage Avenue, died at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.</p> <p><a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/14/photographer-wil-lewis-killed-in-rogers-park-shooting/">Lewis attended art school in Milwaukee and moved to Chicago about two years ago</a>, his friend Warren Rader said. He and his wife had moved in to Rogers Park just two weeks ago and he was set to start a new job Monday as a staff photographer for Trunk Club, an online men’s clothing store.<img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2014/07/WilliamLewis-200x300.jpg" alt="William Lewis / Submitted photo" width="200" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-7122" /><p class="wp-caption-text">William Lewis / Submitted photo</p></p> <p>After the shooting, the gunman and his accomplice chased the suspected rival across the street. Vaughn attempted to pick up the pair, but couldn't find them after the chase, Runk said.</p> <p>Vaughn sped off down a residential street, almost struck another vehicle, then parked his car near the shooting scene, Runk said. Witnesses identified Vaughn to responding officers, who took him into custody, he said.</p> <p>Vaughn, 31, of the 4400 block of North Clarendon Avenue, is charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder, police said. He is also charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless driving and three traffic citations for having no insurance, driving the wrong way on a one-way street and having no valid registration.</p> <p>Vaughn was sentenced to seven years in prison for a 2004 attempted murder charge and two years in prison for a 2007 aggravated battery to a police officer charge. He also has been convicted three times for possession of a controlled substance.</p> <p>On Monday, Judge Donald Panarese ordered Vaughn held without bond.</p> <p>Vaughn has two children, ages 1 and 3, and lives with his pregnant fiance, his lawyer said. He obtained a G.E.D. and had been working at a car wash.</p> <p>The shooter and his accomplice were photographed by a witness, but have not yet been charged for the murder, authorities said.</p> Michael LansuMon, 14 Jul 2014 10:36:12 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/14/eric-vaughn-charged-with-murder-in-rogers-park-shooting-death-of-william-lewis/William LewisEric VaughnPhotographer Wil Lewis killed in Rogers Park shootinghttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/14/photographer-wil-lewis-killed-in-rogers-park-shooting/<img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/chicago/files/2014/07/WilliamLewis-200x300.jpg" alt="William Lewis / Submitted photo" width="200" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-7122" /><p class="wp-caption-text">William Lewis / Submitted photo</p> <p>BY MITCH DUDEK<br /> Chicago Sun-Times</p> <p><a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-lewis/">Wil Lewis</a> escaped poverty in Guatemala when he was adopted at age 7. Loving parents raised him in Wisconsin, where he found his two passions: photography and the woman who would become his wife.</p> <p>He attended art school in Milwaukee and moved to Chicago two years ago. He was looking forward to starting a new job Monday, finally ending the rat race of freelance photography.</p> <p>Lewis, 28, and his wife moved into a new Rogers Park apartment just two weeks ago. They were thinking about starting a family.</p> <p>On Saturday, gunfire upended their plans. Lewis was standing in the 1300 block of West Devon Avenue about 3:20 p.m. when a gunman approached on foot and shot him in the back, police said. He was pronounced dead less than 40 minutes later.<br /> <span id="more-7121"></span><br /> “He was looking to start a family. He was talking about having children,” said Warren Rader, a close friend and fellow photographer. “Everything was going right for him.”</p> <p>Lewis’ wife, an art director with the advertising firm Leo Burnett, called Rader on Sunday morning.</p> <p>“She was inconsolable. She said Wil had been shot. She was just breaking down. I could hardly understand her,” said Rader, who noted they were about two weeks away from celebrating their second wedding anniversary.</p> <p>Ald. Joe Moore (49th) happened to witness the shooting.</p> <p>“I happened to be on Devon only a block from the shooting and heard the gunfire,” he said in a statement. “I looked up to see the assailant, who appeared to be a teenager, continue to fire his weapon at a group of fleeing youths. It is something I will never forget. I am told that police believe the shooting was a result of a gang dispute in another neighborhood that spilled into our own.”</p> <p>Lewis was killed about 36 hours before he was set to begin his new job as a photographer for Trunk Club, an online men’s clothing store, Rader said.</p> <p>“Wil was absolutely thrilled he was getting this new start in life and wasn’t going to be in the rat race as a freelancer,” Rader said.</p> <p>Lewis’ family lived for a time in California, but they spent most of their time in Sturgeon Bay and Kaukauna, Wisconsin, where Lewis’ father, Joseph Lewis, worked as a high school principal.</p> <p>“His dad had this philosophy of helping Wil and getting him a good life, and he did a great job at it,” said Rader, who attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art &#038; Design with Lewis.</p> <p>Rader recalled a conversation he had with his friend in Milwaukee a year or two ago, before Lewis moved to Chicago.</p> <p>“We were talking about conceal-carry gun licenses and how much nonsense it was and how unlikely it was that you’d ever get into a confrontation . . . He just thought it wasn’t something an everyday person would have to deal with,” Rader said.</p> <p>To pay the bills, Lewis shot photos of products for various retailers, but his passion was street photography.</p> <p>“One of his favorite things to do was just walk around and meet interesting people and hear their stories, feel the love,” Rader said. “He was excited to be in Chicago. It’s so big and there are so many unique people there.”</p> <p>Rader said he spoke with Lewis on July 2 about a photo shoot he was planning.</p> <p>“I texted him yesterday around the time he was shot. I never heard back,” he said.</p> <p>“He was a pretty chill, relaxed, easygoing guy. He had a great aura and great energy and was always smiling and he always made your day better. He had these giant canines. We called them cannibal teeth, and people just loved that about him.” Rader said. “He was definitely one of my best friends.”</p> <p>He’s having a hard time understanding why his friend is gone.</p> <p>“His death is absolutely unnecessary. Chicago is getting a real bad rap for this. It’s getting way too common.”</p> Michael LansuMon, 14 Jul 2014 10:09:44 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/14/photographer-wil-lewis-killed-in-rogers-park-shooting/William LewisWEEK IN REVIEW: 12 dead from Chicago shootingshttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/14/week-in-review-12-dead-from-chicago-shootings/<p>BY MICHAEL LANSU<br /> Homicide Watch Chicago Editor</p> <p>Twelve people died last week from shootings throughout Chicago.</p> <p>Three of the shootings happened early last Monday at the end of a bloody Independence Day weekend that saw <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/07/11-dead-at-least-60-wounded-over-holiday-weekend/">13 people killed and 58 others wounded by gunfire</a>.</p> <p>The last shooting of the week happened when a gunman walked up to 28-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-lewis/">William Lewis</a> in the 1300 block of West Devon Avenue and shot him in the head 3:20 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.<br /> <span id="more-7113"></span><br /> Lewis, of the 4700 block of North Hermitage Avenue, died at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.</p> <p>In the Chicago Lawn neighborhood, 27-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/adarrius-thompson/">Adarrius Thompson</a> and his 50-year-old mother were shot during a domestic dispute at their home in the 6200 block of South Rockwell Street, authorities said.</p> <p>Thompson was shot in the chest and died at the scene. His mother was also shot in the chest and was hospitalized at Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition, authorities said.</p> <p>On Friday, 32-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/damion-bryant/">Damion Bryant</a> was shot in the head just outside his home in the 5200 block of West Quincy Street in the Austin neighborhood and died at the scene about 8 p.m., authorities said. Three other people were wounded in the shooting but survived.</p> <p>On Wednesday, <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/jasmine-curry/">Jasmine Curry</a> -- a pregnant 24-year-old mother of five -- was shot while in a minivan traveling south on the Dan Ryan Expressway near 59th Street, family said.</p> <p>“I just don’t understand young people in Chicago today,” said her father, Pierre Curry. “<a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/09/jasmine-curry-killed-in-shooting-on-dan-ryan-expressway/">They don’t give a damn. They ain’t got no heart</a>.”</p> <p>Jasmine Curry’s death comes slightly less than a year after her brother <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/pierce-curry/">Pierce L. Curry</a> was fatally shot while riding in a vehicle on the South Side in the early morning hours of Aug. 27, 2013.</p> <p>On Tuesday, 23-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/bruce-wright/">Bruce Wright</a> was shot while riding a bicycle in the 900 block of North Hamlin Avenue about 10:10 p.m., authorities said. Wright, of the 0-100 block of North Hamlin Avenue, was shot in the head and died at the scene.</p> <p>Wright was <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/28592247-761/two-city-murder-victims-were-previously-shot-twice.html#.U8KvbKgRbIB">previously wounded in the left forearm just six days earlier</a> — on July 2. He told police he heard shots and felt pain in his arm.</p> <p>On Sept. 2, he was shot in his left wrist during a drive-by shooting, police said.</p> <p>In the Washington Heights neighborhood, 17-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/marcel-pearson/">Marcel Pearson</a> and a 15-year-old acquaintance had just left a store and were walking through Robichaux Park in the 9200 block of South Eggleston Avenue when a white van pulled up about 10 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. A gunman exited and opened fire — hitting Pearson in the chest and back, police said.</p> <p>Pearson, of the 1400 block of West 114th Place, was dead at the scene by the time emergency personnel arrived, according to the medical examiner’s office.</p> <p>Friends said Pearson played basketball at Johnson College Prep High School was <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/09/friend-marcel-pearson-just-wanted-to-move-out-of-the-hood/">about to start at Western Illinois University</a>.</p> <p>On Monday, 19-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/jaynisha-scheffer/">Jaynisha Scheffer</a> was walking with a group in the 2200 block of West 69th Street when someone rode up on a bicycle and opened fire at 7:05 p.m., authorities said.</p> <p>Scheffer, of the 7600 block of South Paulina Street, was shot in the back and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn later that night, authorities said.</p> <p>In the South Chicago neighborhood, 24-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/joey-henderson/">Joey Henderson</a> was shot in the 8400 block of South Buffalo Avenue when he was shot about 2:20 a.m. Monday, authorities said.</p> <p>Henderson, who lived on the block, was shot in the back, chest, right arm and eye and died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital about an hour later, authorities said.</p> <p>In the Washington Heights neighborhood, 19-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/cassius-white/">Cassius White</a> and a 16-year-old acquaintance were shot in the 9600 block of South Sangamon Avenue about 12:30 a.m. Monday, authorities said.</p> <p>White, of the 8200 block of South Dante Avenue, was shot in the abdomen area and died later that day at Christ Medical Center, according to the medical examiner’s office. The 16-year-old was also wounded, but survived, police said.</p> <p>The killings started when 44-year-old <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/tonya-gunn/">Tonya Gunn</a> was leaning against a car and talking to her cousin after a cookout at her grandfather’s house in the 10900 block of South Throop Street when gunshots rang out about 12:30 a.m. Monday, authorities said.</p> <p>Gunn, who lived on the block, was shot in the side and died less than an hour later at Roseland Community Hospital.</p> <p>“<a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/07/south-side-mom-tonya-gunn-killed-in-random-gun-violence/">As far as her being in the wrong place at the wrong time — I can’t say that</a>,” Gunn’s cousin, Annette Scott, said.</p> <p>Additionally, two people died last week from earlier gunshot wounds.</p> <p><a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-allen/">William Allen</a>, 25, of the 3500 block of South State Street, died last Monday after being shot June 6 near East 80th Street and South Muskegon Avenue, authorities said. Two other men were wounded, but survived.</p> <p><a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/debra-escobedo/">Debra Escobedo</a>, 49, died Monday afternoon after being shot about 3 a.m. June 1 in the 2700 block of West 24th Street, authorities said. Escobedo, of the 3100 block of South Green Street, was talking with a group outside a bar when a gunman approached and opened fire, police and family said.</p> <p>Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 216 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including nine people killed by police.</p> <p>Additionally, the state’s attorney’s office filed first-degree murder charges <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/03/16/10-million-bond-for-woman-charged-with-murder-in-crash-that-killed-off-duty-cop/">against a speeding motorist who killed an off-duty police officer</a> while trying to flee police even though the autopsy ruled the death an accident.</p> <p>Chicago Police, <a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/2013/12/30/homicides-why-do-chicago-police-and-the-medical-examiners-office-report-different-totals/">which counts murders different</a>, have ruled some of those homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.</p> Michael LansuMon, 14 Jul 2014 09:51:49 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/14/week-in-review-12-dead-from-chicago-shootings/William AllenDamion BryantJasmine CurryDebra EscobedoTonya GunnJody HendersonWilliam LewisMarcel PearsonJaynisha SchafferAdarrius ThompsonCassius WhiteBruce WrightWilliam Lewis fatally shot on North Sidehttp://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/13/william-lewis-fatally-shot-on-north-side/<p><iframe src="http://homicides.suntimes.com/api/v1/homicides/649.html" width="100%" height="350" frameborder=0></iframe></p> <p><a href="http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/william-lewis/">William Lewis</a> was shot to death Saturday afternoon on the North Side.</p> <p>Lewis, 28, was standing in the 1300 block of West Devon Avenue when a gunman walked up and shot him in the back about 3:20 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.<br /> <span id="more-7110"></span><br /> Lewis, of the 4700 block of North Hermitage Avenue, died at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.</p> <p>Nobody has been charged for the murder.</p> <p>Area North detectives are investigating if the shooting is gang related.</p> <p>-- Sun-Times Media Wire</p> Michael LansuSun, 13 Jul 2014 10:13:34 -0500http://homicides.suntimes.com/2014/07/13/william-lewis-fatally-shot-on-north-side/William Lewis