Weekend Shootings Leave 7 Dead; All But 1 On West Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Seven people were shot and killed during a violent weekend throughout the city, and all but one of the victims were slain on the West Side.
The shooting began around noon Friday when Aaron Brown, 26, was shot dead in the 3600 block of West Ohio Street, authorities said.
Police said Brown and several other young people were on the street corner when somebody opened fire. Nobody else was wounded.
Brown, of the 3000 block of West Washington Boulevard, was pronounced dead at 12:37 p.m. Friday at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the medical examiner's office. A Saturday autopsy determined he died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Michele Fiore reports, the victim, also known by the name Quinto Brown, once walked the halls of the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 4301 W. Washington Blvd., as a junior usher.
Pastors gathered Sunday at the church to denounce the violence.
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Brown's grandmother still attends, said the Rev. Ira Acree.
"One of the things that was interesting to me, ministering to the Brown family, is how matter-of-factly we have to often encounter this kind of trauma," Acree said.
Acree said society will have to pay for violence up front or on the back side, so it's best do it now by paying for education and keeping kids off the streets.
"We've got to invest in these kids," he said. "These are our children."
Brown was only the first victim to lose his life. Around 9:25 p.m. Friday, a 23-year-old man -- identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office as Jovan Richardson -- was shot while driving south on Kilpatrick Avenue approaching Jackson Boulevard, police said.
Richardson, of the 3700 block of West Lexington Street, was pronounced dead at 9:50 p.m. Friday at. Hospital of Cook County, the medical examiner's office said. A Saturday autopsy determined he died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide.
Police said nobody else was in the vehicle and nobody else was hurt.
About the same time, a 19-year-old man -- identified by the medical examiner's office as Jonathon Banks -- was shot in the 1400 block of South Trumbull Avenue, police said.
Banks, of the 3800 block of West Arthington Street, was pronounced dead at 12:09 a.m. Saturday at Mount Sinai Hospital, the medical examiner's office said. A Sunday autopsy determined he died of a gunshot wound to the head and his death was ruled a homicide.
About 1:45 a.m. Saturday, man and woman in a car were fatally shot in the 2000 block of West Polk Street, police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer said. A gunman opened fire into a parked four-door Chevrolet, and officers patrolling the area responded quickly and found the wounded.
Dennis Praten, 32, of the 4200 block of West Maypole Avenue, was dead on the scene, according to the medical examiner's office. A Saturday autopsy determined he died of multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide.
Nicole Robinson, 37, of the 2700 block of West Polk Street, was pronounced dead at 2:14 a.m. Saturday at Mount Sinai Hospital, the medical examiner's office said. She too died of multiple gunshot wounds and the medical examiner's office also ruled her death a homicide.
About the same time, Torrence Wright was at a graduation party in a vacant lot in the 5200 block of South Wood Street when an unidentified gunman fired several shots into the crowd, police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak said.
Wright, 20, of the 5100 block of South Wolcott Avenue, was pronounced dead at 8:17 p.m. Saturday at Stroger Hospital, according to the medical examiner's office. Police said he was shot in the head. Wright was known to police and had gang affiliations, authorities said.
Around 10:10 p.m. Saturday, police found a man -- identified by the medical examiner's office as Earl Smith, 24, -- unresponsive outside in the 4200 block of West Potomac Avenue about 10:10 p.m. Saturday, police News Affairs Officer Ronald Gaines said.
Smith, of the 1200 block of North Kildare Avenue, was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:18 p.m. Saturday, the medical examiner's office said. A Sunday autopsy determined he suffered multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide.
Chicago Police detectives are investigating, but no charges had been filed in any of the shootings as of Monday morning.
At the Sunday event at New Mount Pilgrim, the Rev. Marshall Hatch said whether it's mob violence near the Magnificent Mile or shootings on the West Side, the entire city needs to be concerned.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
