What About Our Sons

2012-01-27T09:41:00.003-05:00

chicagotribune.com

68,000 gang members counted by new Gang Book

Staff report
12:02 AM CST, January 27, 2012

Social media Web sites have become popular mechanisms by which gang members carry out drug-dealing and other illegal activity.
This trend is explored in the Chicago Crime Commission Gang Book, which also highlights profiles, colors and other identifiers of 70 of the most prominent street gangs in Chicago, a city estimated to have more than 68,000 gang members, according to a news release about the book.

Released Thursday, the book also contains maps of individual gang territories, and the gangs’ old “manifestos” outlining their original bylaws and current negligence of them, the release stated.
The book was “developed as a training tool to be used by enforcement, parents, educators and business owners who may know little about street gangs operating in the city and suburbs,” Jody Weis, president of the commission and the city's former police superintendentd, said in the release.

The book also includes data from a 2011 Chicago Crime Commission Survey of Gang and Drug Activity. One-hundred-seventy police agencies in the Chicago area participated in the survey, which found that graffiti, burglaries and drug-related activity are the most common crimes committed by gang members in the suburbs, the release stated.

The survey found the Latin Kings, Gangster Disciples, Sureno 13s, Maniac Latin Disciples and Vice Lords are the top five most active gangs within the jurisdictions of the 170 police agencies.
As for Chicago, “many residents of the city live and work within feet of a gang’s operations,” stated Weis.

“Gangs constitute an entire sector of Chicago’s population, yet even the law enforcement organizations that watch them daily cannot precisely gauge the extent of their presence.
“Gangs’ mode of operation exists fully apart from civil society, yet the repercussions of their gun- and drug-related activities directly affect society’s well-being.”

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

What About Our Sons?Are Our Sons Being Killed By Gang Members In Chicago?

More Deaths Of Our Sons In Other Cities

2012-01-26T10:20:00.000-05:00

Man, 19, shot dead in Coatesville

By Kathleen Brady Shea

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

A 19-year-old man was fatally shot last night in Coatesville, authorities said.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said Tre L. Davis of Coatesville was shot about 11:30 p.m. and pronounced dead at Brandywine Hospital shortly after midnight.

Coatesville Police and Chester County Detectives worked throughout the night and are pursuing multiple leads, the release said. "We will work around the clock to break this case," Hogan said in a statement. "Violent crimes like this are a stark reminder of why Coatesville needs a strong and fully-staffed police department.

Facing difficulty balancing Coatesville's budget, City Manager Gary Rawlings has proposed cuts in the police force.
According to court records, Davis spent a couple of weeks in Chester County Prison in the fall after being charged with simple assault, harassment, and related offenses. However, the charges were dismissed at his preliminary hearing on Oct. 24.

Dispatchers said the call regarding the shooting came in at 11:40 p.m. with a location of Third Avenue and Oak Street, which was then revised to the 200 block of New Street. Anyone with information is asked to call Coatesville Police Det. Kevin Campbell at 610-384-2300 or Chester County Det. Butch Dutter at 610-692-5100.

Family mourns teen shot near home in E. Germantown

BY PHILLIP LUCAS
Philadelphia Daily News

lucasp@phillynews.com215-854-5914

RELATIVES of Rashi Anderson, a 17-year-old boy gunned down about a block from his East Germantown home, gathered at the residence Tuesday night to console each other - and contemplated how to sum up a life cut so tragically short.
"We were trying to fill up an obituary, but we couldn't because we didn't have enough words," Denise Thiam, Anderson's great-aunt, said on the front porch over the sound of Rashi's mother's muffled and anguished sobs coming from the living room.
Rashi, whom relatives remember as quiet and pensive beyond his years, was a student in the Agora Cyber Charter School program, planned to be a carpenter and would have turned 18 on Feb. 15, said his mother, Shantashi Cooper.
A hail of gunfire on 21st Street near Medary Avenue wiped it all away Monday night as he walked home from his job at his cousin's cleaning service.
"He was just out there at the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was supposed to come home," Cooper said through tears.

"What world are we living in that you can't walk home from work?" asked an aunt, Jennifer Campbell-Stith.
Rashi's death marked Philadelphia's 27th homicide of 2012 - the same number at this stage in 2007, Philadelphia's deadliest year in the last five - then grew to 28 when a man who was shot on Tacoma Street near Seymour in Germantown was pronounced dead Tuesday night.

With homicide detectives investigating more killings than days elapsed in 2012, police and city officials are looking for ways to stop the bloodshed.
Spokesman Mark McDonald said Mayor Nutter is expected to address the public this week on how the city will respond to the year's violent beginning.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said the numbers don't necessarily foreshadow a year of record-breaking violence.
"We're going to do whatever we have to do to get the violence down," Ramsey said. "We're looking to see whether we need to make some adjustments within our department."

What those adjustments could be was unclear Tuesday night. However, McDonald said the number of cops on foot patrol could eventually swell, with about 120 cadets set to graduate from the Police Academy between spring and summer.

"We're committed to using every available resource and every available statutory power to begin to turn the tide here," McDonald said.
Rashi's family, grappling with the task of mourning a teen who worked hard and kept out of trouble, wants to see the words translate into action.

"I know the mayor is saying he's working on it," Thiam said. "Let's see the work."
Tipsters should call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or the tip line at 215-686-TIPS (-8477).

Man shot in Mantua, in stable condition

A 21-year-old man was shot twice on Union Street near Aspen in the Mantua section of West Philadelphia Tuseday night, and was hospitalized in stable condition, police said.
The man was shot once in his right leg and once in the right side of his abdomen just after 10 p.m., police said.
He was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and was listed in stable condition as of 11 p.m.
The man told police he was shot by a man who is about 5 feet 7 inches tall, was wearing a dark mask at the time and was wearing dark clothing.
The shooter was last seen running east on Fairmount Avenue from the scene.
Police were unsure of the shooter's motive Tuesday night, and no arrests were made.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Man dies after being shot in Germantown

This post has been updated
A 43-year-old man who was shot and killed on Tacoma Street near Seymour in Germantown Tuesday afternoon was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital about 6:45 p.m., homicide detectives said.
Shots rang out around 4:12 p.m., police said, and homicide detectives were working last night to determine the circumstances that led to the shooting.
The victim was shot in his chest and abdomen while he was sitting in his girlfriend's car, Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Police found two types of shell casings on the scene, and said the man may have been shot at by two people.
A description of the shooter was not available, police said there were no witnesses. No arrests were made.
Tipsters are asked to call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334, or the tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or leave a tip online.

Philly teen slain in West Oak Lane double shooting

By Allison Steele

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Police were still on the scene of the fatal shooting of a bodega clerk in West Kensington when shots erupted farther north, in the city's West Oak Lane section.

Shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday, 17-year-old Rashi Anderson was shot in the chest and stomach. Police found Anderson on the 6300 block of North 21st Street, a block from his home.
Inside a nearby house, police found another 17-year-old who had been struck in the thigh.

Within half an hour, Anderson was pronounced dead at Albert Einstein Medical Center. The other teenager, who has not been identified, was treated and released.
Tuesday, police said they had no information on what happened, and no idea of the motive. No arrests had been made.

"We don't really have anything yet," said one detective, who declined to be named. "We're so busy right now, we can barely keep up."
The shooting was less than an hour after bodega clerk Rosemary Fernandez-Rivera was gunned down by a masked assailant in Kensington.

For the second year in a row, January has proved to be a particularly deadly month in Philadelphia. As of Tuesday evening, the new year's homicide total was 27. In January 2011, the homicide count for the entire month was 25, significantly higher than the 15-16 range which had been considered normal in previous years.

Friends and relatives of Anderson's took to Twitter and Facebook on Monday night and Tuesday, posting memories of Anderson and messages like "Rashi really knew everybody, respected and loved by many," and "Rest in peace, Rashi."
Friends and family posted on Twitter that Anderson's funeral is scheduled for later this week.

2 teens shot, 1 dead, in West Oak Lane

A 17-year-old boy was killed and a second wounded in a shooting Monday night in West Oak Lane, police said.

Slain was Rashi Anderson, who lived on the 6200 block of North 21st street, a block from the crime scene, police said.
Investigators have not yet reported a possible motive in the shooting on the 6300 block of North 21st Street.

According to police, gunfire erupted about 8:20 p.m., leaving Anderson with bullet wounds to the chest and stomach and another 17-year-old boy shot in the thigh.
Arriving officers found Anderson on the street and the other victim inside a residence on the street, police said.

Anderson was pronounced dead at 8:34 p.m. at Albert Einstein Medical Center, where the other teen was treated and released, police said.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Man killed, teen hospitalized in E. Germantown shooting

One man is dead and a 17-year-old boy is recovering from a bullet wound to his left thigh after a double shooting in East Germantown Monday night.
Shots rang out about 8:20 p.m. on 21st Street near Medary Avenue, police said.
A man, whom police only identified as a black man in his 20s, was shot twice in his stomach and once in his chest, said Officer Jillian Russell, a police spokeswoman.
He was taken by police to the Albert Einstein Medical Center, and was pronounced dead at 8:34 p.m.
The teenage victim was taken by medics to Einstein and was listed in stable condition as of 9:30, police said.
Information on the suspect and a possible motive was not immediately available.
No arrests were made.

Posted by Phillip Lucas @ 9:33 PM

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Being Killed In Record Numbers And No Body Has Been Arrested

2012-01-24T10:38:00.000-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Two dead, 1 wounded in South Side shootings

Staff report
8:42 PM CST, January 23, 2012

Two men are dead and a third was wounded after shootings today on the South Side, authorities said.
At 9:10 a.m. police responded to a person down and found the victim, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office as Derrick Holliday, lying face down with a gunshot wound to the head in the back of a building in the 7400 block of South Merrill Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Daniel O’Brien.

Holliday, of the 9200 block of South Calumet Avenue, was dead on the scene in the South Shore neighborhood, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Meanwhile, in the West Englewood neighborhood, someone shot a man the medical examiner’s office identified as Deandre Alexander in the 6800 block of South Hoyne Avenue at 3:53 p.m., according to Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli.

Alexander, 22, of the 2000 block of West 68^th Place, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. at Holy Cross Hospital, according to the medical examiner's office. O’Brien said he suffered a gunshot wound to the back.
The victim was initially taken in critical condition to Holy Cross, according to Mirabelli.

A third shooting wounded another man today. The victim, a man in his late teens, was shot at 3:30 p.m. in the 7200 block of South Artesian Avenue, according to Mirabelli. He suffered a graze wound to his right leg and was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers, according to Mirabelli.
Mirabelli said Wentworth Area detectives were investigating whether the shooting on Artesian was connected to the slaying on Hoyne.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Gunned Down Too Many Times

2012-01-23T11:36:00.001-05:00

chicagotribune.com

2 shot dead inside SUV in Rogers Park neighborhood

By William Lee
Tribune reporter
2:29 AM CST, January 23, 2012

Two men were shot and killed this morning as they sat in an SUV stopped at a traffic light in the Rogers Park neighborhood, Chicago police said.

The 26-year-old driver and his 27-year-old passenger were shot at about 12:46 a.m., causing the vehicle they were riding in to strike a tree in the 7600 block of North Sheridan Road, police said, citing early reports.

They were identified by the Cook County medical examiner's office later in the morning as Dion Miller, of the 6200 block of North Francisco Street, and Jonathan Bell, of the 7400 block of North Ashland Avenue.

Both men had been stopped at a traffic light when the shooting occurred, said Officer Ron Gaines, a police spokesman. But it appeared they attempted to drive off after being shot, but crashed a short distance away.

The driver Miller, who was shot in the leg, was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Early reports originally said he was in fair condition, police said.

Bell was dead at the scene.

Police didn't have a description of the shooter and didn't speculate on a motive for the double slaying as Belmont Area detectives begun their investigation.

No arrests had been made.

wlee@tribune.com

Twitter: @MidNoirCowboy

What About Our Sons? Once Aagain, Our Sons Are Murdered And Nobody Is In Custody

2012-01-22T18:23:00.001-05:00

chicagotribune.com

South Side shootings leave 1 dead, 5 wounded

By Peter Nickeas
Tribune reporter
11:04 AM CST, January 22, 2012

Six people were shot on the South Side on Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to police.
One man, who appeared to be in his 20s, was killed on the 600 block of East 90th Place in the Burnside neighborhood, police said. He was found in the street about 2:30 a.m.

Police notified the Cook County medical examiner's office of the death but authorities weren't able to provide additional details.
About the same time in McKinley Park neighborhood, a 28-year-old man was shot muliple times in a suspected drive-by shooting, police said.

That shooting happened on the 1800 block of West Pershing Road. A witness heard shots, went outside to investigate and found the man lying on the ground with multiple wounds.

The witness called for help and attempted to stop the victim's bleeding until paramedics arrived. The victim was taken in serious-to-critical condition toJohn H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, where his condition has stabilized, police said.

A car was seen fleeing, but there was no description immediately available, police said.
Two people were shot at a party on the 6900 block of South Calumet Avenue in the Park Manor neighborhood about 12:45 a.m. Sunday, police said.

A 20-year-old man was shot in the foot and taken to St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center and a 23-year-old man was shot in the wrist and taken to Stroger Hospital, Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines said. Both were in good condition, he said.
Shortly before midnight, a 20-year-old man was shot in the ankle in the South Chicago neighborhood, police said. That shooting happened on the 7500 block of South Exchange Avenue. The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his condition had stabilized, police said.

About 6:30 p.m. Saturday, a 13-year-old boy was shot in the ankle on the 7200 block of South Wolcott Avenue in the West Englewood neighborhood, according to police. He was shot by someone from inside a passing vehicle. Police couldn't describe the vehicle.
He was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in good condition, police said.
pnickeas@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Cops Aren't Doing A Good Job Finding The Murderers Of Our Sons

Another Senseless Murder In Newark

2012-01-21T17:00:00.006-05:00

Di Ionno: A senseless killing leaves a hard-working Newark man's family heartbroken

It was Clarissa Azcona’s 17th birthday and her stepfather, Miguel Torres, promised to leave work early and take the family to dinner.

Tim Farrell/The Star-LedgerThe family of murdered Newark store owner Miguel Torres — his wife Theodora, and children Clarissa, 17, Sandy, 15, and Eliam, 9 — held a vigil outside the bodega where he was shot.

But then a kid got shot in the head in a drive-by outside Torres’ neighborhood grocery store in Newark, and the birthday celebration was off. Police cordoned the block and Torres spent the evening answering detectives’ questions and handing over his surveillance tapes. The store’s newly painted yellow brick wall was pock-marked by a few dozen 9-millimeter and AK-47 rounds.

That was last July 14. Torres came home that night and told his children he no longer wanted them working in his store.
"He thought it was too dangerous," Clarissa Azcona said.

"We thought it was too dangerous for him, too," said her brother, Sandy Azcona, 15. "We wanted him to sell it. I said, ‘You got to get out of that store.’ But he said, ‘This is how we make money. This is how we’re going to progress here.’"

On Tuesday evening, Torres was shot and killed inside his store by a hooded assailant who demanded and received the register money, then shot Torres anyway. The store surveillance camera recorded the attack, which police sources said is chilling in its cold-bloodedness. There was also a clear picture of a young man working as a lookout, who all but looked directly into the camera. Police say they know the identities of the killer and lookout, and are close to an arrest.

Miguel Torres was pronounced dead minutes after he was shot multiple times in the chest. He was 37. His death is an urban tragedy because Torres was exactly the kind of person Newark needs to escape the poverty and crime that imprisons so much of it.

He immigrated from the Dominican Republic and found two jobs. He saved enough money to open a business, then saved enough to buy another. He met a single mom with two kids, a toddler and an infant, and made them all his responsibility.

Friday, his stepchildren spoke lovingly about Miguel Torres in the family’s 2nd floor walk-up in the Newark’s North Ward as their half-brother, Eliam Torres, 9, played nearby. The apartment was clean and orderly, with sturdy furniture protected by plastic and cherub angel figurines decorating shelves and walls.

"He’s the only father I know," said Clarissa, her voice quivering with sadness. "He married my mom when I was, like, two, and he took care us."
He did that by working. At Port Newark, unloading cars from cargo ships. At U-Haul, preparing trucks for rental. When he wasn’t at one job, he was at the other.
"He was out the door every morning at 6 and didn’t come home till 10:30 at night," Clarissa said. "He worked 16 hours a day, seven days a week, right until the day he died."

"All he wanted for us was to go to college, so we wouldn’t have to work the kinds of jobs he did," Sandy said. "He didn’t want us working in a bodega."
Torres bought his first mini-mart in Irvington a few years ago, but got out because the neighborhood was a war zone. But he tried again, buying a place on Oakwood Avenue in Orange, called Monteverde Mini-Market. That was about 2 1/2 years ago. Torres continued to work at U-Haul, putting money aside to buy a second store.

Last year, he bought JNC Mini-Mart on the corner of 14th Avenue and S. 18th Street, which was owned by his cousin Joan (pronounced Jo-haan) Rodriguez. A few weeks in, he was held up at gunpoint.
"We told him, don’t buy that store," Sandy Azcona said. "On Oakwood Avenue, everything was cool. The people loved him and he felt protected. Here was different. The regular people were friendly, but he knew the neighborhood was rough."

So rough that he never let his workers walk home or even take the bus.
"After he closed, he gave them all rides home," Clarissa said.
Still, he put his money into it. Just a few weeks ago he made a video of the well-stocked shelves and new counters.

"He had it up. He was proud of it," Sandy said.
"When he bought it, it was a mess," Clarissa said as she played the video on his phone. "He wanted it to be nice for the people there. He put a lot of money into it."
Then paid with his life. An urban tragedy, on so many levels.

CaseClosed2: I'm surprised the murdered Dominican bodega store owner didn't have a gun in his store for protection. Most have guns and will use them. Now what happens if other Dominican bodega storeowners decide to close up shop? Where will the mostly African Americans who purchase at these stores shop?

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Murdered In Their Own Stores

2012-01-21T11:49:00.002-05:00

chicagotribune.com

23-year-old man killed at River North neighborhood Walgreens

By Peter Nickeas and Rosemary Sobol
Tribune reporter
8:19 AM CST, January 21, 2012

A 23-year-old man died after someone walked into the Walgreens on Chicago Avenue near Franklin Street in the River North neighborhood and opened fire about 10 p.m. Friday, according to police.

The victim, who was shot in the head and body, was a security guard at the store, police said.

Police said the shooter, believed to be a former store employee, fled on foot. Nobody is in custody.

It's unclear if the victim was a Walgreens employee or employed by a security firm.

A spokesperson for Walgreens declined to comment on the employment status of the 23-year-old man or the man police are seeking but said Walgreens would provide counseling for employees at their request.

"We are deeply saddened by this incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with our employees' family," said Robert Elfinger, spokesman for Walgreens. "We are providing information to the police and doing all we can to assist them."

Police found the body on the ground outside the Walgreens next to a garbage can.

A westbound Number 66 Chicago Avenue bus sat parked in the westbound lanes of Chicago Avenue because a bullet struck its side, according to a CTA employee.

Chicago Police took photos of the bus as they worked at the crime scene. By about 5 a.m., the bus was moved and the tape removed from most of the area.

Police blocked traffic on Chicago Avenue both directions between Orleans Street on the west and Franklin Street on the east.

The Cook County medical examiner's office was notified of the death.

pnickeas@tribune.com and rsobol@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

2 shot in Woodlawn
By Peter Nickeas
Tribune reporter
7:11 AM CST, January 21, 2012

Two adults were shot on the 6400 block of South Kenwood Avenue in the Woodlawn neighborhood about 4:40 a.m. this morning, according to police.
A man and a woman, both adults whose exact ages weren't available from police, were standing on the street when someone approached them and opened fire, hitting the man.

The woman tried to run away but the shooter chased after her and shot her too.
Both were taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. The man was in stable condition but the woman's condition wasn't available.
Police said both are expected to live. Additional details surrounding the shooting weren't available early Saturday morning.

pnickeas@tribune.com
What About Our Sons? Our Sons Continue To Get Shot And No Body Is In Custody

2012-01-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Man shot in head, critically hurt in Marquette Park

Staff report
4:20 AM CST, January 19, 2012
A young man was shot and critically injured this morning in a shooting near a Marquette Park neighborhood gas station, authorities said.
The man, whom authorities describe as between 18 and 21, was struck once in the head at about 3:30 a.m. in the 7200 block of South Western Avenue, according to police and fire department officials.
He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, a fire department spokesman said.
Details on the shooting weren't available as the police investigation was just getting under way.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

3 shot overnight on South Side

By Peter Nickeas
6:43 AM CST, January 20, 2012

Three people were shot on the South Side late Thursday and early Friday, including a 47-year-old man injured as he struggled with an armed robber in Chatham, police said.

That man was walking on the 600 block of East 89th Street about 3:30 a.m. when two younger men, between 18 and 20, approached him from behind and announced a robbery, police said.

They were after the man’s jewelry, police said.

The older man struggled with the armed robber and was shot in the thigh, and the two fled east on 89th Street, police said.

The victim was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in good condition, police said.

Also, two men were shot in the Englewood neighborhood overnight.

One was shot on the 6300 block of South Aberdeen Street about 1:55 a.m. Friday, Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro said, citing early reports.

He was shot in the chest and leg and taken in stable condition to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Alfaro said.

Circumstances surrounding that shooting weren't immediately available.

Another man in his 20s was shot on the 200 block of West 72nd Street about 10:20 p.m. Thursday in the same neighborhood, according to authorities.

Police said the man was 21, but the Chicago Fire Department said he was 22.

He was standing in an apartment when someone fired through a window. The victim was hit in the left cheek below the eye, police said.

He was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

pnickeas@tribune.com

WhatAbout Our Sons? Our Sons Continue To Get Shot And Killed

2012-01-19T13:46:00.000-05:00

Aristide Economopolous/The Star-LedgerIrvington Police Officers stand outside the Unitransfer store on Springfield Avenue, the site of Tuesday's fatal shooting

One man dead, another injured, in Irvington shooting

A man was shot dead and another wounded inside a township check-cashing store last night in an apparently targeted attack, officials said.
At about 5:45 p.m., police found Irvington resident Daniel Joseph, 21, and another man shot inside the store, said acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and Irvington Police Director Joseph Santiago in a joint statement.

The investigation into the shooting at Unitransfer Check Cashing on the 1100 block of Springfield Avenue blocked rush-hour traffic for more than three hours, forcing residents to detour around the crime scene.
Both victims were taken to University Hospital, where Joseph was pronounced dead and the other victim underwent surgery, the statement read.

Residents trying to return to their nearby homes said this sort of crime was infrequent along the commercial strip of restaurants, banks and ethnic grocery stores.
The check-cashing business is a subsidiary of a large Haitian bank and provides remittance services throughout the Caribbean, according to company’s website.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/one_man_dead_another_injured_i.html

2012-01-19T11:04:00.003-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Man shot in head, critically hurt in Marquette Park

Staff report
4:20 AM CST, January 19, 2012

A young man was shot and critically injured this morning in a shooting near a Marquette Park neighborhood gas station, authorities said.
The man, whom authorities describe as between 18 and 21, was struck once in the head at about 3:30 a.m. in the 7200 block of South Western Avenue, according to police and fire department officials.

He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, a fire department spokesman said.
Details on the shooting weren't available as the police investigation was just getting under way.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

What About Our Sons?Our SonsAre Shot In The Head And No One Is In Custody

2012-01-18T09:49:00.002-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Man, 19, fatally shot in Brainerd neighborhood

Staff report
3:54 AM CST, January 18, 2012

A 19-year-old man was shot and killed in the Brainerd neighborhood on the city's Southwest Side.
Killed was Kurtis Stanton, of the the 6600 block of South Langley Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Stanton was walking in the 1500 block of West 94th Street at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when a gunman approached from behind and shot the man in the head, police said, citing early reports.

He was dead at the scene.
Police had no additional details on the shooting, but said no arrests had been made.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

2 shot, 1 critically, outside house party

By William Lee
Tribune reporter
1:20 AM CST, January 18, 2012

Two men were shot -- one critically -- as they stood outside a South Side house where a party was going on, Chicago police said this morning.

The pair told police they didn't see who had fired on them at about 10 p.m. Tuesday in the 6800 block of South Langley Avenue, police said.
But as they stood outside an apartment building where the party was taking place, someone fired shots at them, striking one of the men, 32, in the neck, said Officer Amina Greer, a police spokeswoman.

A 20-year-old man received a graze wound to the arm, but was treated at the scene.
The older man was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, Greer said.
Police weren't sure what the motive for the shooting was, but said no arrests had been made as of this morning.
wlee@tribune.com

What About our Sons?Why Aren't There Arrests In The Murders Of Our Sons?

This Doesn't Make Sense

2012-01-17T09:53:00.000-05:00

Video catches youths beating, kicking teen in Bridgeport

By Rosemary Sobol and Will Lee Tribune reporters

7:58 a.m. CST, January 17, 2012

Police are searching for six youths caught on video beating and kicking a 17-year-old boy as he lay coiled in an alley in Bridgeport, pleading in vain for them to stop.

In an attack that lasted for several minutes Sunday afternoon, the boy covers his face as the other youths surround him and push him into the snow while kicking and punching his head, his legs, his back.

The attackers yell that the boy had "(expletive) up."

"Hold on," the teen says as he pulls himself to his feet and tries to talk them into stopping.

But one of the attackers, wearing gray sweats, asks: "Do you (expletive) understand?" He then punches the boy in the face and knocks him to the ground, then kicks him in the face, sending the boy sprawling on the snow-covered ground.

At the end of the attack, the youths take the teen's shoes, dangling one of them in front of his face in a taunt. They also took his wallet and $180 in cash, police said.

The boy was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, where he was treated for a laceration to his lip, bruises and abrasions, police said.

The fight was caught on video, which was posted on YouTube. "It's become a big deal because of the video,'' said police News Affairs Officer Daniel O'Brien.

Tribune reporter Jeremy Gorner contributed.

Click link below to watch the video

http://www.chicagotribune.com/videogallery/67423279/Technology/Video-shows-teen-beaten

chicagotribune.com

Man dies in 'targeted' Marquette Park shooting

By William Lee
Tribune reporter
5:57 AM CST, January 17, 2012

A 21-year-old man was shot and killed a block from his Marquette Park neighborhood home in what appeared to be a targeted attack, authorities said.
Killed was Samuel Patterson, of the 6300 block of South Artesian Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

An autopsy is scheduled for later today.

Patterson was standing on the sidewalk in the 6300 block of South Campbell Avenue at about 6:40 p.m. Monday, when a gunman approached him on foot, shouted something and opened fire, police said, citing early reports.

As Patterson lay dying in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest, the shooter fled on foot, police said.
No other injuries were reported, and police didn't have a detailed description of the gunman.

Patterson was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition, but he later died.

Police didn't say what they suspected touched off the shooting, nor did they say what the killer yelled at Patterson.

Relatives of the victim couldn't be reached for comment this morning.
Patterson had a number of petty arrests in recent years and performed community service at Gage Park High School for a 2009 manufacture/delivery of cannabis conviction, according to court records.

No arrests have been made.

wlee@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Beaten, Robbed And Killed On City Streets And No One Is In Custody

2012-01-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

2 critical after separate shootings on same block

Staff Report

A man and a woman were critically wounded Sunday in separate shootings hours apart on to the same block in Kensington, police said today.

The victims, whose names have not been released, are both about 20 years old, police said.
It is not clear yet if the attacks were related.

The first shooting occurred about 12:50 p.m., when the male victim and a friend passed a group of men while walking on the 3400 block of H Street, police said. Someone in the group started shooting and the men fled.

Wounded three times, the man ran around the corner and into a hoagie shop on the 700 block of East Tioga Street, police said. He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was reported in critical condition.
Police were looking for a black male, about 5-feet, 6-inches tall with a thin build, who was wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans and was armed with a large, black handgun.

At 10:20 p.m., officers responding to a radio call on the 3400 block of H Street found the woman on the ground with a bullet wound to the back of the head, police said.

She was taken to Temple and was listed in extremely critical condition.
Investigators had no description for the shooter and were seeking a possible motive.

What About Our Sons? Our Sons(And Daughters) Are Gunned Down In Philadelphia And No One Is In Custody

2012-01-15T10:29:00.001-05:00

chicagotribune.com

31-year-old man killed in South Shore

By Peter Nickeas
Tribune reporter
7:59 AM CST, January 15, 2012

A man was shot and killed Saturday in the South Shore neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, according to authorities.

Jason Gatewood, 31, of the 10400 block of South Wentworth Avenue, was pronounced dead at 12:57 p.m. Saturday after being shot about 4:50 a.m., a spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner's office said.

According to preliminary report, Gatewood exited a car with two other males shortly before 5 a.m. on the 1400 block of East 76th Street, said Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez.

Witnesses told police they saw the three walk to a grassy area when one of the people Gatewood was walking with pulled out a gun and shot him multiple times, Perez said.The gunman and the other male fled the scene in a dark-colored vehicle.

Police responded to a call of shots fired and found Gatewood lying in the grass with several gunshot wounds to his body, Perez said.

The motive behind the shooting is unknown.

As of 8 a.m., no one was in custody for the shooting. Police are investigating.

pnickeas@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

Teen wounded in West Englewood shooting

Staff report
1:10 AM CST, January 15, 2012

Someone shot a 17-year-old boy in the West Englewood neighborhood Saturday night, police said.
He was standing in an alley on the 5700 block of South Seeley Avenue when someone got out of a dark-colored vehicle and shot him about 11:35 p.m., according to a release from the Chicago Police Department.
He was shot in the elbow and taken in good condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.
Nobody is in custody and Wentworth area detectives are investigating.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

2-year-old Gary girl shot, in 'very critical' condition

By Peter Nickeas
Tribune reporter
9:18 PM CST, January 14, 2012

A 2-year-old girl is in "very critical" condition after being shot in the head with a .22 caliber handgun Saturday afternoon in Gary, according to police.

The girl was shot in the 2500 block of West 9th Avenue about 2:30 p.m. and flown to the University of Chicago Medical Center from Methodist Hospital Northlake Campus in Gary, police department spokeswoman Gabrielle King said.

Police said the 2-year-old was playing with another child inside a home when the gun discharged. Nobody is in custody and police believe the shooting may have been accidental, King said.

pnickeas@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Killed And No One Is In Custody

2012-01-14T12:00:00.003-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Shootings leave one dead, three wounded

By Peter Nickeas
Tribune reporter
8:28 AM CST, January 14, 2012

Four men were shot in Chicago between about 8:45 and 10:45 p.m. on Friday, according to police.
One of the men, 31, died after he was shot by two people who approached him on foot, according to a release from the Chicago Police Department.
He was standing on a sidewalk outside his home in the 5800 block of South Fairfield Avenue in the Gage Park neighborhood about 10:35 p.m. when the two started shooting, police said.

He was struck twice in the left armpit and was pronounced dead at 11:27 p.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital. The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the victim as Ruben Colunga, 31.
About 20 minutes earlier, two men, both aged 25, were shot as they emerged from an alley in the 3100 block of West Pershing Road in the Brighton Park neighborhood, police said.

One man was shot in the chest and back and the other was shot in the upper right leg. Both were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, the first in stable condition and the second in good condition.
Police said the shooting appeared to be gang-related. The shooters exited a light-colored vehicle before firing shots at the two, police said.

Earlier, an 18-year-old man was shot about 8:45 p.m. on the Far South Side, Chicago police said. He was shot in the 200 block of East 111th Street, Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro said, citing preliminary reports. That's near Palmer Park.
He suffered an in-and-out gunshot wound to the thigh, Alfaro said.

The teen was described as "uncooperative" by police and gave a second address of where he was shot – in Ada Park, on the 11200 block of South Ada Street, also in the Roseland neighborhood.
His condition and other circumstances surrounding the shooting weren't immediately available.
He was taken to Roseland Community Hospital.

pnickeas@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Are All Our Sons Shot And Killed Gang Related? No One Is In Custody

2012-01-13T08:45:00.002-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Man seriously wounded when shot in back on South Side

Staff report
7:57 PM CST, January 12, 2012

Police responded to a shooting in the West Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side tonight that left a man seriously wounded.

At 6:37 p.m. someone shot the 37-year-old man in the back in the 6100 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala.

The victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to Zala.

Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said the victim was in serious condition.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

What About Our Sons?What Happened To Good Old Fashion PoliceWork In Solving The Shootings And Murders Of Our Sons?

2012-01-12T11:16:00.003-05:00

Man shot Tuesday in S. Philly dies

Staff Report

A 20-year-old man who was shot in the head during an apparent argument in South Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon has died, police said.

No arrests have been reported in the killing of Hassan Dingle, of the 1800 block of South 24th Street.

Police said Dingle was shot about 4 p.m. Tuesday on the 1900 block of 20th Street during an argument. He died 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Police in the meantime also have identified a woman whose body was found Tuesday with that of a 78-year-old man in an apartment on the 1300 block of Dickinson Street in South Philadelphia.

She was Janet Burgess, 50, and police said she lived with other victim, previously identified as Eugene C. Zappacosta.
Their bodies, both stabbed repeatedly and wrapped with blankets, were found with two dead dogs in the apartment.
Police also found drug paraphernalia in the flat, but still have not reported a possible motive for the killings.

What About Our Sons? Our Sons AreKilled In Philadelphia Too And No One Is In Custody

2012-01-11T10:37:00.002-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Man slain in Lawndale neighborhood

Staff report
3:28 AM CST, January 11, 2012

A man was gunned down Tuesday night in the Lawndale neighborhood on the city's West Side, police said.
Officers found the 26-year-old man lying unresponsive in the street in the 4900 block of West Polk Street around 5:40 p.m. with multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

The man, whose identity was being withheld, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Police said the victim had ties to an area gang and an extensive criminal record.
Grand Central Area detectives are investigating.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

Man fatally shot in Gresham neighborhood

By William Lee
Tribune reporter
2:58 AM CST, January 11, 2012

A young man was killed in a shooting late Tuesday in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side, police said.
The 18-year-old victim was shot in the chest and wrist at about 11:45 p.m. in the 8400 block of South Peoria Street, police said, citing early reports.

The shooting took place outside a residence. The victim had stayed outside, while several other people had gone in, police said. After hearing several gunshots, the people inside came out to find the man wounded, police said.
He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The Cook County medical examiner's office had tentatively identified the victim, but withheld it, pending notification of his family.
Police suspected that the shooting was gang-related, as the victim had ties to a street gang.

No arrests had been made as of this morning.

wlee@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Murdered And Once Again, No One Is In Custody

Murder In Newark

2012-01-10T17:42:00.001-05:00

A 29-year-old man was shot and killed and another man was injured in a burst of gunfire Monday night in Newark, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said today.

Quian Christmas was shot just before 9 p.m. in the area of West Peddie Street and Ridgewood Avenue, and was pronounced dead minutes later at University Hospital, the prosecutor's office said. The shooting location is a few blocks north of Weequahic Park.

The second shooting victim, who was not identified, sustained non-life threatening injuries. He has so far refused to cooperate with the investigation, the prosecutor’s office said.
There have been no arrests and authorities have not released a possible motive.
The prosecutor’s office is urging anyone with information to call its tips line at (877) 847-7432.

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Gunned Down In Newark

2012-01-10T09:20:00.001-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Cops: Man found fatally shot in North Side alley

By William Lee
Tribune reporter
6:30 AM CST, January 10, 2012

A 32-year-old man was shot dead in an alley in the Edgewater Beach neighborhood on the city's North Side.
Killed was Aaron Price, of the 5500 block of North Winthrop Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

An autopsy is scheduled for later today.
Authorities discovered Price lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest in the 5800 block of North Kenmore Avenue -- mere blocks from his home -- just before 11:45 p.m. Monday,
Chicago police said, citing early reports.

While police hadn't located any eyewitnesses to the shooting, they did find someone who saw Price quarreling with another person just before the shooting.

Price was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. today, police said.
Authorities didn't have a description of the gunman, or know what the argument was about. Police did recover several bullet casings from a small-caliber handgun at the scene, authorities said.

Police were also unsure of the motive for the slaying, but court records show that Price had dozens of arrests and five felony drug convictions dating back to the late 1990s.
No arrests had been made.
wlee@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Continue To Be Murdered And No One Is In Custody

2012-01-09T09:29:00.002-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Three dead, three wounded in overnight shootings

By Peter Nickeas and Carlos Sadovi
Tribune reporters
6:22 PM CST, January 8, 2012

Three people were killed and three others wounded in six separate shootings Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

A man was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on the 2300 block of South Whipple Street in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side about 6:10 a.m., Chicago police said.
Two males were seen running from the scene, according to police.

The man was identified as Juan Mendez, of the 2300 block of South Sacramento Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He sustained several gunshot wounds to his head.
Additional information about that incident wasn't immediately available. The victim appeared to be in his 20s, police said.

A woman was shot and killed Saturday night about 6 p.m. on the 5600 block of South Justine Street in Englewood, police said.
She was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County and pronounced dead, according to police. Medical examiner's office identified her as Soraya Gibson. She died in her home.

Preliminary reports stated Gibson was standing in the rear of her building when someone yelled to watch out. Moments after, shots were fired from across the street, striking Gibson, police said. She was able to make it into her apartment where she died.
About 3:45 a.m. today, an 18-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to the left hip near the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line stop at 69th Street in the Park Manor neighborhood on the South Side, police said.

He was stepping onto a sidewalk when a group of people approached him and one person started shooting, police said. He was taken to Stroger hospital. His condition wasn't immediately available, police said.
The man, Christian Peggs of the 6900 block of South Indiana Avenue was pronounced dead at, a 3:55 a.m., according to the medical examiner's office.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side about 3:05 a.m. today, police said. He was inside an apartment on the 2200 block of North Lawler Avenue when someone outside fired into the building. He's in critical condition at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, police said.
About 12:50 a.m. Sunday, a 25-year-old man was shot on the 600 block of East 133rd Street in the Golden Gate neighborhood on the Far South Side. He's in good condition at Metro South Hospital, police said.

In the Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side, a 25-year-old man was shot in the back about 10:18 p.m. Saturday on the 1000 block of East 73rd Street. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. The victim's condition and circumstances surrounding the shooting weren't immediately available from police.
pnickeas@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

Teen dies after being shot through open window of NW Side home

By William Lee
Tribune reporter
8:04 AM CST, January 9, 2012

A 17-year-old boy died this morning, a day after a gunman fired a shot through an open window of his Northwest Side home.

The teen, Valentin Bahena, was pronounced dead at 12:18 a.m. at Stroger Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
He was the fourth person to die in shootings that occurred between Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Bahena had been hospitalized since he was shot in the head inside his mother's bedroom just after 3 a.m. Sunday at his family's home in the 2200 block of North Lawler Avenue, authorities said. Public real estate records show that Bahena's family owns the two-story brick apartment building.

The teen was leaning out the second-floor window asking two men standing in the gangway below what they were doing there, police said.
Just then, a relative heard a gunshot and found Bahena lying on the floor, police said.
The shooting happened just after Bahena quarreled with another person outside his apartment, authorities said.
It was unclear whether the verbal altercation led to the shooting.
Police didn't offer a motive for the shooting, but noted that Bahena had a gang affiliation. No arrests had been made.
wlee@tribune.com

4 Killed, 10 Wounded In New Orleans Weekend Violence

Written by jeffmays

The old saying: “A bullet has no name,” isn’t really true. The boy whose eye the bullet ripped through before exiting through the back of his skull in New Orleans was named Keian Ester. He was 11 and playing Xbox and never regained consciousness. If that story isn’t sad enough, know that Keian wasn’t the only young person affected by violence in New Orleans this weekend.

Doctors at University Hospital declared Keian dead Saturday afternoon, making him the third fatality in the New Orleans area within a bloody 24-hour period. Keian, a fifth grader at George Cox Elementary School in Gretna, liked to play football and basketball. But in order to keep him safe, Johnson-Ester kept him inside at night playing video games. On Friday afternoon she dropped Keian off for a sleepover at the apartment on Beechgrove Boulevard in unincorporated Westwego. Then she went to work as a home health aide, a job that keeps her busy seven days a week. A day later, with her husband and 10-year-old twin daughters by her side, Johnson-Ester said goodbye to her only son, kissing his still body, crying over him and telling him she loved him. Between Friday night and Saturday afternoon, three people were killed including Keian, and 10 wounded in a spate of unrelated shootings. Four of those wounded were teenagers hit by bullets fired into a crowd after a high-school basketball game. All but two of the shootings occurred in Orleans Parish. The other two killings were in the 9th Ward and eastern New Orleans.

The reason that old saying– the one my mother would sometimes utter to me when I was a teenager leaving the house– isn’t true, is because these bullets seem to have the names of our young people written all over them. Young Keinan was doing nothing more than playing video games while his mother worked to earn money to support him and the rest of her family. And shouldn’t an athletic event be a safe venue for young people to hang out with their friends?
The reason events like these aren’t safe anymore is because guns have now become one of the primary tools of communication in too many communities across America.
Here’s the Time’s Picayune’s description of Keinan’s shooting and the shooting at the basketball game:

After Easton won, the crowd rushed the court — as is tradition — causing some sort of tiff. Those involved were escorted out by school officials and Orleans Parish Sheriff’s deputies, who typically provide security for Easton games, according to the observers, who asked not to be identified. While emotions were definitely high, police and witnesses said they didn’t know what prompted someone to fire into the crowd. Neighbors who live near the apartment where 11-year-old Keian was murdered say they woke up to small white signs placed by police detectives marking seven different bullet holes in the front of the wooden apartment building. Like most of the large complex, the building was largely vacant, they said. Tyrone Coston, 57, said elderly neighbors heard gunfire, hit the floor and spent the night sleeping on the carpet, in fear.

Seven bullet holes?

The person firing that gun was expressing themselves the only way they knew how, the way they were probably taught by the people around them, through violence. And the fact that a school rivalry has to be settled with bullets instead of on a basketball court shows that our kids simply don’t have the language to work out their differences.

Of course the availability of these cheap, deadly weapons is a huge part of the problem. It was just a year ago that a gunman shot U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others, killing six people. Not much has changed on a national policy level involving guns since then.

But don’t we need to take steps to teach our kids to communicate with one another without turning to violence? Maybe schools need to have a course focused on conflict resolution. Parents need to start at home by limiting the amount of conflict their children see as close to nil as possible.

Just because someone skipped you in line in the supermarket does not mean that threats of violence are required (recently witnessed that with my own eyes). If fighting in a child’s home is introduced as the solution to problems, then that is the paradigm kids are going to use in their own lives. There are enough bullets out there to ensure that too many of our kids’ names prematurely wind up on tomb stones.

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Shot And Killed And Once Again. No One Is In Custody

2012-01-08T11:41:00.002-05:00

Man killed in Newark's South Ward

Published: Saturday, January 07, 2012, 1:06 AM Updated: Saturday, January 07, 2012, 9:59 AM

In a joint statement, authorities in Essex County announced an investigation into the fatal shooting of Antonio Collins, 28, of Newark, Friday night in the city's South Ward.
Police were called to the 400 block of Irvine Turner Boulevard shortly after 9 p.m., where Collins was found shot, said acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and city Police Director Samuel DeMaio.
Collins died at the scene minutes later, the statement read.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Crimes Task Force tip line at (877)-847-7432.

chicagotribune.com

Two dead, four wounded in overnight shootings

By Peter Nickeas
Tribune reporter
8:35 AM CST, January 8, 2012

Two people were killed and four others wounded in six separate shootings Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
A man was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on the 2300 block of South Whipple Street in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side about 6:10 a.m., Chicago police said.
Two males were seen running from the scene, according to police.
Additional information about that incident wasn't immediately available. The victim appeared to be in his 20s, police said.
A woman was shot and killed Saturday night about 6 p.m. on the 5600 block of South Justine Street in Englewood, police said.
She was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County and pronounced dead, according to police. The Cook County medical examiner's office identified her as Soraya Gibson. She died in her home.

Preliminary reports stated Gibson was standing in the rear of her building when someone yelled to watch out. Moments after, shots were fired from across the street, striking Gibson, police said. She was able to make it into her apartment where she died.
About 3:45 a.m. today, an 18-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to the left hip near the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line stop at 69th Street in the Park Manor neighborhood on the South Side, police said.

He was stepping onto a sidewalk when a group of people approached him and one person started shooting, police said. He was taken to Stroger hospital. His condition wasn't immediately available, police said.
A 17-year-old boy was shot in the Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side about 3:05 a.m. today, police said. He was inside an apartment on the 2200 block of North Lawler Avenue when someone outside fired into the building. He's in critical condition at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, police said.
About 12:50 a.m. Sunday, a 25-year-old man was shot on the 600 block of East 133rd Street in the Golden Gate neighborhood on the Far South Side. He's in good condition at Metro South Hospital, police said.

In the Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side, a 25-year-old man was shot in the back about 10:18 p.m. Saturday on the 1000 block of East 73rd Street. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. The victim's condition and circumstances surrounding the shooting weren't immediately available from police.
pnickeas@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

1 dead, 1 injured in Avondale stabbing

Staff report
11:58 PM CST, January 7, 2012

Two men were stabbed and one later died from his wounds in the Avondale neighborhood Saturday, police said.
The two were approached by more than one person about 3:45 a.m. Saturday on the 4000 block of West Melrose Street -- about a block from the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Pulaski Road -- and then stabbed, police said.

A 24-year-old man is listed in critical condition at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and the other, also 24 years old, died about 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Cook County medical examiner's office identified the dead man as Anthony Diaz, but didn't say where he was from.
As of 11:45 p.m. the Cook County medical examiner's office wasn't notified of the death.
Police didn't say what prompted the stabbing.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Shot And Killed Across The Country And No One Is In Custody

Tragedies Like This One Must End

2012-01-07T13:10:00.000-05:00

The casket holding the tiny body of Mi’Khy Robinson, a 2-year-old Newark boy who died of a gunshot wound during his wake and services at the Christian Love Baptist Church. Wakir Bryant, 27, Mi’Khy’s mother’s boyfriend was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting, Two days earlier Mi’Khy ‘s 29-month-old cousin, Alexis Robinson was found beaten to death by a 25-year-old man who was living with the child’s mother, not the child’s father. Alexis Robinson’s wake was held Friday night at the same church in Irvington. (Robert Sciarrino/The Star-Ledger)

CaseClosed2:This is such a tragedy, yet the murder of black boys is happening in other cities as well. The black community has become a haven for thugs and gangbangers. The families of these thugs aren’t taking responsibilty for their actions. They are being allowed to live with unconcealed weapons in many homes with women who have small children. Please, know who you are dealing with. Check the backgrounds and belongings of persons you allow into your homes who will be around your children. Know if they have drugs or weapons because what they are involved in could easily come back to your doorstep in the ultimate sacrifice. Sadly,Alexis Robinson, and Mi’Khy Robinson were the sacrifices in these cases. Let’s not have this unbearable tragedy repeated

2012-01-07T11:22:00.003-05:00

chicagotribune.com

Two shot on South Side

By Peter Nickeas
Tribune reporter
3:28 AM CST, January 7, 2012

Two people were shot on the South Side late Friday and early Saturday, according to police.
A male was shot on the 6600 block of South Damen Avenue about 12:10 a.m. Saturday, police said, and is in good condition at an area hospital. Other circumstances surrounding the shooting weren't immediately available.

A 21-year-old man was also shot on the 5100 block of South Western Avenue about 9:15 p.m. Friday.
He was shot in the left arm and is in good condition at Holy Cross Hospital, Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro said.
That shooting may have been a drive-by, Alfaro said.
pnickeas@tribune.com

chicagotribune.com

2 boys shot on Southwest Side

Staff report
9:20 PM CST, January 6, 2012

Someone shot two teen boys this afternoon in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side during an attack police said was gang-related.
A 13-year-old was wounded in the shoulder while a 17-year-old was shot in the right foot about 2:10 p.m. in the 3300 block of West 38th Street, according to Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala.

Chicago Fire Department spokesman Joe Roccasalva said they were both taken in fair condition to Mount Sinai Hospital.
Zala described the attack as gang-related and said the victims were not cooperating with investigators.
No one is in custody tonight, Zala said.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Every Death Of Our Sons Is Not Gang Related

Nothing Has Changed In Chicago

2012-01-06T10:41:00.002-05:00

chicagotribune.com

14 wounded in shootings across Chicago

Staff report

1:04 AM CST, January 6, 2012

Fourteen people were wounded in separate shootings across the city Thursday.
Two people were shot at 50 W. 85th Street about 11:45 p.m., just west of the Dan Ryan Expressway, police said.

They were sitting in a vehicle when another dark-colored vehicle drove by and someone inside started shooting, police said.

A 33-year-old man was shot in the foot and suffered a graze wound to the head and a second person was shot in the forearm.

Additional information about the second victim wasn't available from police.
The pair drove to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and are in good condition, police said.

Four people were standing on a corner in West Garfield Park near Maypole Avenue and Kenneth Avenue about 2:50 p.m. when someone wearing all black walked up and opened fire.
Two teens were shot in that incident, police said.

A 14-year-old boy was shot twice and taken to Stroger Hospital, police said, and an 18-year-old remains in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital after being shot in the leg.

A 25-year-old man was shot in the chest and a 23-year-old woman was shot in the foot. They both got a ride to West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, police said.

At 2:56 p.m., two men were shot in the 3500 block of West Chicago Avenue, with one being taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and the other to St. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, said Chief Joe Roccasalva, a Fire Department spokesman.

The 22-year-old man taken to Mount Sinai Hospital suffered eight gunshot wounds to his arms, legs and hip, police said. The other person, a 25-year-old man, was shot in the lower leg and is in good condition, police said.
Someone stepped out of a white Chevy Caprice and opened fire at the two, police said. Nobody is in custody.

And at 3:29 p.m., two people were shot near 51st and Wood Streets, authorities said.
The two, 17 and 20, are both gang members involved in an ongoing turf dispute, police said.
One was taken to Holy Cross Hospital for treatment, Roccasalva said. Additional information about the conditions of the two wasn't immediately available.

A 21-year-old man was shot in the chest about 6:30 p.m. after someone fired shots from inside a 1990s black Volvo.
He was walking with someone on the 3600 block of West Lawrence Avenue but that person wasn’t shot, police said.

The man is in critical condition at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, police said.
A 20-year-old man was shot in the back on the 5500 block of South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in the Washington Park neighborhood about 1:15 p.m., police said.

An acquaintance drove him to Saint Bernard Hospital, police said, and he’s listed in good condition.
A 33-year-old woman was shot just before 2 p.m. in the 5600 block of South Seeley Avenue in the West Englewood neighborhood, police said.
She was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition with a leg wound, police said.

A 31-year-old man standing in an apartment building vestibule was shot after a “domestic incident” in the 500 block of North Monticello about 10:30 p.m., police said.
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital and later released after being treated for his wound.

chicagobreaking@tribune.com

What About Our Sons? Our Sons Are Shot In Chicago And No One Is In Custody