Holiday weekend ends with 3 dead, 12 wounded in shootings
By Peter Nickeas
(Tribune photo illustration)
A 25-year-old Missouri man was shot to death as he sat in an SUV in the Gresham neighborhood Sunday morning, and a second Missouri man was found dead with gunshot wounds inside the vehicle after it crashed, according to police.
Another man was killed on the South Side Sunday afternoon, making it three people dead and 14 wounded between sunrise Sunday and Monday morning.
The incident involving the two Missouri men happened about 6:10 a.m. in the 8800 block of South Bishop Street on the South Side, according to Officer Jose Estrada, a Chicago Police Department spokesman.
The victims were sitting in an SUV when someone fired at them. The SUV fled and crashed a few blocks away, in the 1600 block of West 89th Street. Police found the 25-year-old, believed to be the driver, with gunshot wounds. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center and pronounced dead.
A 31-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene, and though he had been shot it's not clear if he died from the shooting or the car crash. The two were officially identified Sunday afternoon by the Cook County medical examiner's office as: Willie Hunter, 31, of the 1200 block of East High Street in Jefferson City, Mo., and his brother John L. Hunter, 25, of the 300 block of East Ashley Street in Jefferson City, Mo.
The medical examiner autopsy results released Monday afternoon said both men died of multiple gunshot wounds.
The men were nephews of Illinois State Sentator Mattie Hunter D-Chicago who had moved to Missouri but had returned to visit for the July 4th holiday.
In a statement, Sen. Hunter called for the violence to end.
"We are heartbroken and saddened by this tragic and senseless loss of life. My family is no different than any other family, and far too many of us have lost family members to the violence that continues to plague our communities. I would ask everyone to join me in praying for an end to this violence and the gun epidemic that is killing our families and friends. It has to end."
The other homicide victim was 48-year-old Anthony Strong, of the 9200 block of South Harper Avenue in the Calumet Heights neighborhood, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Strong had been transported in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center after being shot in the right side of his chest about 4 p.m. Sunday in the block where he lived on the South Side, according to Officer Bari Lemmon, a Chicago police spokeswoman. Strong was pronounced dead at the hospital at 6:03 p.m., according to the medical examiner.
Police have a person of interest in custody, Lemmon said. No other details from the shooting were available.
In non-fatal shootings:
• A 21-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy were wounded about 5:40 a.m. Monday in the 900 block of West Cullerton Avenue in the Pilsen neighborhood on the South Side. The man was waiting for his friend, the 15-year-old, when someone drove by and opened fire, according to police. The boy was shot in the abdomen and the man was shot in the knee. A woman drove both to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they are in good condition. Police believe the shooting to be gang related because both victims affiliate with gangs.
• A 23-year-old man was standing in an alley when someone shot him in the face in the Austin neighborhood early Monday morning. The attack happened about 2:25 a.m. just west of Cicero Avenue near Ferdinand Avenue on the West Side. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition, police said.
• A 22-year-old man was shot about 12:50 a.m. Monday in the 3700 block of West Harrison Street in the Homan Square neighborhood on the West Side, police said. The man was standing near a vehicle in a gas station when someone shot him. He was driven to West Suburban Medical Center where his condition was stabilized. He was shot in the right arm.
• About the same time, a 22-year-old man was shot in the 1200 block of West 87th Street in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side. The boy was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital with a wound to his right arm, police said.
• A 52-year-old man was shot about 12:30 a.m. in the 400 block of East 76th Street in the Chatham neighborhood on the South Side. He was on a sidewalk when he heard shots and then felt pain, police said. The man was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition had stabilized.
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• Two people were shot about 8:10 p.m. Sunday in West Chatham on the South Side. A 48-year-old woman and 33-year-old man were standing on the sidewalk in the 8000 block of South Stewart Avenue when two gunman approached them on foot and fired shots, police said. The woman was shot in both legs, and the man was hit in his right ankle and right foot. Police said both were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where their conditions stabilized.
• A 24-year-old man was shot about 3:40 p.m. in the 10600 block of South Prairie Avenue in the Roseland neighborhood. He was shot in the right armpit and driven to Roseland Hospital, and then transferred to Advocate Christ Medical Center, police said.
• A 22-year-old man was shot about 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the 4500 block of South Honore Street in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side, Lemmon said. The man was standing in that block when a white van with two men inside pulled up; one man left the van and shot the 22-year-old multiple times, Lemmon said. The gunshot victim was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition.
• A 34-year-old man was shot in the forearm and a 30-year-old man was shot in the stomach about 1:25 p.m. Sunday in the 8000 block of South Ellis Avenue in the East Chatham neighborhood on the South Side, according to Officer Veejay Zala, a Chicago police spokesman. The two were taken to Stroger Hospital, said Zala, who had no information about their conditions or about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
• A 33-year-old man walked into Mount Sinai Hospital at 12:02 p.m. Sunday with gunshot wounds to both legs, Estrada said. The man said he had been shot in the vicinity of West Chicago Avenue and North Spaulding Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side, but Estrada said police were unable to find a crime scene there. Estrada said the investigation is continuing.
• A 24-year-old man was shot in the abdomen about 11:15 a.m. Sunday in the 900 block of North Mayfield Avenue in the South Austin neighborhood on the West Side, according to Estrada. The victim had been approached by two males on bicycles when one of the two pulled out a handgun and opened fire on the 24-year-old. The gunshot victim was taken in serious condition to Loyola University Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized. Police believe the shooting to be gang-related. No one is in custody.
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