Sunday, January 21, 2018

4 killed, 16 wounded in Chicago shootings, including 4 shot at West Side birthday party

A quadruple attack on the West Side brought the total of the city's shooting victims to 20, including one man who was fatally shot at a bus stop outside of a CTA Red Line station, and two men killed in a double shooting on the Northwest Side.
In all, four people were killed and 16 wounded in shootings between Saturday and Sunday mornings. Among those injured were a 5-year-old girl and two people who were shot in separate incidents while riding public transportation.
Four people were shot at a birthday party around 1 a.m. Sunday in the 3200 block of West Division Street in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, according to police and witnesses.
A 19-year-old woman was entering the party when she was shot at by someone in a passing car, police said. Two men, 24 and 21, and another woman, 30, were also wounded.
The teenager was rushed to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, police said. The men and other woman were taken to Norwegian American Hospital, where the woman and 21-year-old man were in good condition with wounds to the arm and hand, respectively, and the 24-year-old man was stabilized with a gunshot wound to the lower back.
The first fatal shooting happened around 1:15 p.m. Saturday at the bus stop outside the 69th Street station, 15 W. 69th St., police said.
The man was shot in the chest and taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
The man was standing at the bus stop at the CTA station when someone who has not yet been identified went up to him and they got into a dispute, according to the notification. The other person took out a gun and shot the man in the chest, police said.
In the double homicide, two men, 25 and 19, were shot around 3 a.m. Sunday in the 6000 block of West Belden Street in the Belmont Central neighborhood, police said.
The men were walking when someone fired at them from a black vehicle, police said. The 25-year-old was shot in the back and died at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, and the 19-year-old was shot in the head and died at Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Earlier, a 41-year-old man was fatally shot multiple times in the upper body around 2:20 a.m. while driving his vehicle in the 12900 block of South Halsted Street in the Far South Side's West Pullman neighborhood, police said.
The man was pronounced dead at MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island.
A man was also shot on a Green Line train on Saturday.
In that shooting, a 23-year-old man was shot on the "L" train near King Drive about 6:10 p.m., police said. The man suffered graze wounds to the right eye and right hand, and was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said. The man got into a fight with another person and someone took out a gun and shot him, police said.
Green Line service was suspended for more than an hour while authorities investigated.
A 5-year-old girl was also shot Saturday while she was in a car with a family member in the North Austin neighborhood.
The girl and the 30-year-old woman were shot about 7:10 p.m. in the 2000 block of North Laramie Avenue, police said. The girl suffered a gunshot wound to the left arm and had her condition stabilized at Stroger Hospital, while the woman suffered a gunshot wound to the left hand and was in good condition at the same hospital.
The two were in the car when a blue Honda pulled up next to them and someone inside started shooting, hitting them, police said. A man who was with them in the car who has gang affiliation or the woman herself - who does not - may have been the target of the shooting, according to authorities.
In other shootings:
  • A person was shot in the lower back around 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the 5300 block of North Western Avenue in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood on the Far North Side, police said. The person was stabilized at Presence St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.
  • Around 4:15 a.m., a 26-year-old man was shot in the leg and a 30-year-old man was stabbed in the abdomen and wrist at a gathering in the 10500 block of South Wentworth Avenue in the Fernwood neighborhood on the Far South Side. The men were both stabilized at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
  • A 29-year-old man was shot in the knee around 2:45 a.m. in the 2300 block of South Oakley Avenue in the Heart of Italy neighborhood on the West Side, police said. He was transported to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
  • Around 1:20 a.m., a 24-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the foot in the 6300 block of South Morgan Street in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, police said. He was in good condition at St. Bernard Hospital.
  • A 44-year-old man was shot in the lower back around 11:40 p.m. Saturday while sitting in his vehicle in the 3900 block of South Indiana Avenue in the South Side's Bronzeville neighborhood. Police said he was shot by someone in a passing vehicle. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was stabilized.
  • A 65-year-old man was riding a CTA bus in the 5600 block of West Division Street in the North Austin neighborhood around 6:05 p.m. when he heard gunshots and felt pain, police said. He didn't realized he was bleeding until he walked home. He took himself to West Suburban Hospital, but was transferred to Stroger Hospital.
  • Two people were shot in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood about 5:30 p.m., police said. A 29-year-old man victim suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was in critical condition, while a female victim suffered a gunshot wound to the foot and was in good condition at Stroger Hospital. Information on the circumstances of the shooting wasn't immediately available, nor was the age of the female victim.
  • An 18-year-old man was shot in the left leg about 2:30 p.m. in the 3900 block of West Arthington Street in the Lawndale neighborhood, police said, correcting earlier information that the man might have been shot in the 3800 block. The man was walking when someone approached and opened fire. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, police said.

Friday, January 12, 2018

San Antonio man accused in 2015 “Hell’s Gate” killing found guilty of murder

A San Antonio man accused in the fatal shooting of Steven Cerna, 19, whose body was found in a West Side drainage ditch in 2015 has been found guilty of murder.
Robert Martinez, 21, was accused of luring Cerna to a motel with the promise of drugs or money. Prosecutors said Cerna was taken to a drainage ditch on the West Side known as “Hell’s Gate” and shot and killed on Feb. 20, 2015.
It took a jury about 90 minutes to reach the verdict Friday morning.
Prosecutors said the killing was done in retaliation for another slaying that did not involve Cerna, while the defense contended that authorities arrested the wrong man.
The case went cold for two years until Martinez started bragging about the killing, prosecutors said.
Martinez’s uncle, Larry Isaac, in jail on a pending kidnapping case, testified for the state Thursday that his nephew admitted he shot Cerna.
Cerna’s mother testified Tuesday that her son suffered from mental illness.
Isaac admitted his testimony was part of a plea agreement that capped his prison sentence to nine years instead of the 20 he faces.
State District Judge Melisa Skinner gave jurors a short break before beginning the punishment phase. Martinez faces up to life in prison.
Article Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/san-antonio-man-accused-in-2015-“hell’s-gate”-killing-found-guilty-of-murder/ar-AAuBOeR