Charges Filed In Death Of Bystander Killed At Party
CHICAGO (STMW) - Charges have been filed in the November 2009 shooting death of a mother of three murdered on the West Side party, police said.
Darryl Upchurch, 25, of the 1000 block of North Long Avenue, was charged with murder and three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm in the Nov. 1,
2009, shooting that occurred in the 5300 block of West Division Street, according to police News Affairs Officer Michael Sullivan.
Court information was not immediately available.
The shooting claimed the life of Jennifer Clark, 24, of the 3200 block of West Crystal St., who died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Clark was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital at 1:41 a.m., according to the medical examiner's office.
Clark had three children at a young age but tried hard to improve her prospects, continuing her education after high school and working as a home health-care aide.
Her life ended in a hail of bullets at a West Side party. Clark, 24, died of a gunshot wound to the chest when someone fired into a party at Hau't Sneakers and Gear, 5360 W. Division.
Police said the shooting happened about 1:05 a.m. after a man was asked to leave the event for "rude behavior."
Once outside, the man filed several shots through the door, hitting Clark and a 16-year-old girl, said Police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak at the time.
The teenager was wounded on the bottom of her left foot and was treated at West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park.
Clark was a "happy and lovable person," said her grandmother, Roberta Clark, who spent Sunday at home being consoled by family and friends from her church. "We were tight. We had a good relationship. When she was younger, I would take her everywhere."
Roberta Clark said Jennifer graduated from Austin High School and Olympia College, now called Everest College, and was trained as a medical aide and in food preparation. Jennifer worked for Help at Home Inc.
She leaves behind twin 6-year-old girls and a 4-year-old girl, her grandmother said.
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