8 dead, 49 wounded in Chicago weekend shootings

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A 33-year-old woman was shot while driving late Friday in the Pilsen neighborhood on the Near West Side. | Matthew Hendrickson/Sun-Times

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Two men shot to death in separate West Side incidents early Monday were part of a deadly weekend in Chicago that saw eight people killed and 49 others wounded in gun violence between Friday evening and Monday morning.

More than 240 people have been shot so far this month. And more than 1,600 have been shot this year, according to Chicago Sun-Times data. Of those victims, 279 have died. Last year, more than 700 people were shot to death in the city.

With 57 people shot, this weekend’s carnage outpaced the same weekend last year. From June 17, 2016, to June 20, 2016, at least 56 people were shot, 13 of them fatally.

The weekend’s latest fatal shooting happened about 2:30 a.m. Monday in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side. Officers responding to a call of a person shot in the 1000 block of North Lawndale found a 33-year-old man lying face down on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the back, according to Chicago Police. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Cook County medical examiner’s office has not released information on the fatality.

About 1:45 a.m. Monday, 25-year-old Joseph Henderson was gunned down in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the Southwest Side. He was in the 1800 block of South Kildare when a black car pulled up and someone inside fired shots in his direction, police and the medical examiner’s office said. Henderson, who lived in the South Chicago neighborhood, was shot in the back and pronounced dead at the scene at 2:11 a.m.

At 7:23 p.m. Sunday, a teenage boy was killed in a drive-by shooting in another North Lawndale neighborhood attack. Jaquarius Davis, 16, was standing outside when a red four-door car drove up in the 1200 block of South Avers and someone inside fired shots, authorities said. Davis was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:56 p.m. He lived in the same neighborhood as the shooting.

A few hours earlier, road rage turned into a fatal shooting when a 27-year-old man was shot in the head in the South Side Chatham neighborhood. About 3:45 p.m., the man was traveling in a vehicle in the 600 block of East 82nd Street when someone in another vehicle took out a gun and fired shots. He was shot in the head and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 4:23 p.m., police and the medical examiner’s office said. His name has not been released. Police said the shooter was taken into custody and charges were pending Monday morning.

A teenage girl died Sunday afternoon, more than 12 hours after she and a man were shot in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. Tiara Viramontes, 17, and the 30-year-old man were in the back of a building at 4:48 a.m. in the 3500 block of West Huron when someone opened fire. Viramontes, who lived in the same neighborhood, was shot in the back of the head and taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m., authorities said. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the upper right leg and was also taken to Stroger, where he was listed in critical condition.

Raven Lemons, 25, was shot to death at 2:40 a.m. Sunday in the Gold Coast neighborhood on the Near North Side. She was standing with an acquaintance in the 500 block of East Ohio when someone fired shots, striking her in the head. Lemons, who lived in North Lawndale, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she died at 3:13 a.m., authorities said.

About 6:25 p.m. Saturday, 32-year-old Dario Balderrama was fatally shot in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side, authorities said. He had just parked his car and was crossing the street in the 4800 block of South Racine when a dark vehicle approached and two people got out and fired shots. Balderrama, who lived in the same neighborhood as the shooting, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 25-year-old man was killed and two other men were wounded in the first fatal shooting of the weekend, which happened about 11:45 p.m. Friday in the South Side Englewood neighborhood. The men, ages 23, 25 and 29, were standing in front of a home in the 5900 block of South Union when three gunmen walked up and opened fire, authorities said. The 25-year-old man was shot repeatedly and died at the scene. His name has not been released. The youngest man was shot in the chest and taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, while the oldest man was shot in the right leg and taken to St. Bernard Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

In the weekend’s latest spate of nonfatal shootings, 10 people were wounded in six separate incidents — three of which happened on the Near West Side — in less than 90 minutes.

About 12:20 a.m. Monday, two men, ages 20 and 32, were standing outside when someone fired shots from a gray Nissan driving north in the 6400 block of South Talman in the Marquette Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side, police said. The Nissan struck two parked vehicles before it sped away. The younger man suffered gunshot wounds to both legs, while the older man was shot in the buttocks. They were both taken to Christ Medical Center, where their conditions were stabilized.

At 12:05 a.m., a 25-year-old man was shot in the right leg in the 8500 block of South Halsted in the South Side Gresham neighborhood, police said. He showed up at Trinity Hospital, where he was listed in good condition.

Three people were wounded in a shooting about 11:50 p.m. Sunday on the Near West Side. The group was gathered in the street in the 200 block of South Western when a white vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots in their direction, police said. A 17-year-old boy was shot in the back and taken in serious condition to Stroger Hospital. A 22-year-old man was shot in the left hand and also taken to Stroger, where his condition was stabilized. An 18-year-old man suffered a graze wound to the right leg and refused medical attention.

At 11:10 p.m., a 29-year-old man was shot in the left foot in the 2300 block of West Adams on the Near West Side, police said. He walked into Rush University Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition. The man was not cooperating with investigators.

About that same time, two men, ages 25 and 32, heard gunfire and felt pain while they were standing outside in the 2500 block of West Jackson on the Near West Side, police said. The younger man was shot in the left arm and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, while older man was shot in the left leg and taken to Stroger Hospital. Both of their conditions were stabilized.

A 30-year-old man was shot in the left leg about 11 p.m. in the Chatham neighborhood on the South Side. He told investigators he was involved in an argument with another male in the 8100 block of South Calumet when the male pulled out a gun and fired shots, police said. The man showed up at University of Chicago Medical Center, and was later transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. He was not cooperating with investigators.

At least 36 more people were wounded in shootings across the city between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.