Chicago Father's Day weekend marred by violence: Police release photos of 1 suspect; 61 shot, 9 fatally
CPD Superintendent Brown calls for revamp of home monitoring system; 'we need to do more than just cry'
CHICAGO (WLS) -- As of Sunday morning, 61 people were shot, 9 fatally, across Chicago during Father's Day weekend.
Four minors, including a 3-year-old boy, were among the victims who were killed, police said.
Sunday afternoon, police officials held a press conference where they urged the public to come forward with any information about the weekend's violence.
Police released photos Sunday afternoon of one suspect, who police believe is armed with a handgun.
Jasean Francis, 17, and the 16-year-old were in an alley about 5:10 p.m. in the 7900-block of South Luella Avenue when the male suspect approached them and fired shots, authorities said. They were coming home from the neighborhood store.
"These kids are not criminals, they are not gang members, they get gunned down for no reason at all," Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said.
Francis was shot in the back, chest and hand, while the 16-year-old was shot in the back and side. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where they died.
The suspect fled south in the alley near 7925 S. Luella Ave. shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday.
The suspect was seen wearing one shoe on his left foot, and a black sock on his injured right foot, police said. He has a heavy limp.
Police have urged anyone with information about the incident to call Area South Detectives at
(312) 747-8271.
A teenage girl and a 3-year-old are also among the dead.
A 27-year-old man was driving his
3-year-old son, Mekhi James, in the 600-block of North Central Avenue when a blue Honda pulled up and fired into their car just before 6:30 Saturday night, according to police.
Police said the man was only grazed, but the 3-year-old was hit in the back and later died.
The father drove the boy to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, police said, but the boy was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. The father was also treated for a graze wound to the abdomen.
Chicago faith leaders are offering a reward nearing $10,000 in the case.
"We want to say to the shooter and to those around him, 'you will have no safe harbor in this neighborhood,'" Rev. Marshall Hatch said.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown emphasized the need to hold the individuals who perpetrated this weekend's acts accountable during a press conference Sunday afternoon.
"We need to do more than just cry; let's keep violent offenders in jail longer. Let's revamp the home monitoring system; it's not working," Brown said.
"I put myself in that house; I put myself in that hospital, touching that baby with a bullet hole," Brown said.
James had just gotten a haircut Saturday morning, hours before being shot.
He said anyone with information regarding the recent gun violence across the city should come forward. Tips can be submitted anonymously at
cpdtip.com.
"Our city's collective heart breaks... There are simply no words to describe such a heinous, unconscionable act of cowardice to shoot at a toddler," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted after hearing of James' death.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot
✔@chicagosmayor
https://twitter.com/chicagosmayor/status/1274531744448942080
Our city's collective heart breaks to hear the unfathomable news of a 3-year-old boy who was shot and killed tonight on Chicago's West Side. There are simply no words to describe such a heinous, unconscionable act of cowardice to shoot at a toddler.
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9:37 PM - Jun 20, 2020
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About two hours later, a 13-year-old girl was fatally shot in the 1000-block of North LeClaire Avenue in the Austin neighborhood.
Police say 2 teenage boys were sitting on a porch when one noticed a laser pointed at him.
Gunshots followed. The boys were both hit, but taken to the hospital in good condition.
According to investigators, the 13-year-old girl, Amaria Jones, was inside the home watching TV when a bullet struck her in the right side of the neck. She was taken to the hospital but later died. She was going into the seventh grade at John Hay Elementary Community Academy. Her family said she loved to dance.
The two teenage boys were killed just over an hour before that in South Chicago.
The latest fatal shooting left a man dead and three others injured early Sunday in Humboldt Park.
The men were arguing with a group about 12:04 a.m. in the 2600-block of West Potomac Avenue when they were shot, authorities said. Alexis Perez, 41, was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead on the scene. Two other men, 23 and 21, both went to Stroger Hospital in good condition. The older man was shot in the knee and hip while the younger man was shot in both legs. A fourth man, 34, was shot in his legs and arms. He was treated and released from Mount Sinai Hospital.
Two men were shot, one of them fatally, in another attack Saturday evening in Austin.
Officers responding to reports of a person shot at 7:46 p.m. in the 200-block of North Central Avenue found the two men on the sidewalk, police said. A 27-year-old was shot in the torso and taken to West Suburban Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The other man, 32, was hit in the left foot and taken to the same hospital in good condition.
Less than an hour before that, a
man was fatally shot and another was injured in Logan Square on the Northwest Side.
The men, 23 and 24, were outside about 7 p.m. in the 1900-block of North Western Avenue when a group of males approached them yelling gang slogans, according to police. The group asked what gang the men were with, and a fight ensued. During the altercation, one of the males pulled out a gun and fired shots.
The 23-year-old man was struck in the neck and pronounced dead on the scene, police said. The 24-year-old was hit in the arm and was taken to Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center in good condition.
Another man was killed Friday night in Garfield Park on the West Side.
Almos Collum, 33, was driving about 10:25 p.m. in the 4100-block of West Congress Parkway when a black SUV approached and someone inside fired into his vehicle, authorities said. He was shot multiple times and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 10:49 p.m. He lived in Austin.
The weekend's earliest homicide happened less than an hour earlier blocks away in Austin.
Three men were outside about 9:52 p.m. in the 4800-block of West Gladys Avenue when someone in a passing vehicle unleashed gunfire, police said.
Johnny Teajue, 33, was shot in the neck and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police and the medical examiner's office. He lived in Washington Park.
A 34-year-old man was shot in the foot and is in good condition at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, police said. A 43-year-old man who was shot in the lower back took himself to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in fair condition.
In nonfatal shootings, a teenage boy was shot early Sunday in Humboldt Park on the West Side.
The 17-year-old was in a vehicle with three other people at 12:36 a.m. on West Hirsch Street when someone walked up and started shooting, according to police. The vehicle took off and hit several parked cars. The four occupants got out, at which point the suspect shot the teen in the abdomen. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition.
Another teen boy was grazed by a bullet early Saturday in Little Italy.
The 17-year-old was driving about 12:45 a.m. on South Loomis Street when someone in a gold sedan fired shots, police said. He was grazed in the ribcage and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.
A few minutes later, a 64-year-old woman was shot inside her home in Humboldt Park on the West Side.
She was inside at 12:49 a.m. in the 1000 block of North Lawndale Avenue when bullets came through her window, according to police. The woman was hit in the arm and taken to Norwegian American Hospital in fair condition. She did not appear to be the shooter's intended target.
The weekend's earliest instance of gun violence wounded a 35-year-old woman Friday evening in South Shore.
She was with a group of people about 6:30 p.m. in the 7400-block of South Phillips Avenue when a light-colored SUV pulled up and someone inside opened fire, police said. She was shot in the arm, and her condition was stabilized at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
At least 37 other people have been hurt in shootings in Chicago since 5 p.m. Friday.
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