50 shot, 9 fatally, in Chicago weekend violence

Nine people were killed and at least 41 others wounded this weekend in Chicago gun violence.

Most of the shootings happened on the South and West sides. One person was killed before sunrise Monday; two people were killed Sunday; four people were killed Saturday; and another died Friday night. They were all males between 15 and 66 years old. Five of the homicide victims were 20 years old or younger.

The numbers don’t include two fatal stabbing of females this weekend. A 5-year-old girl was stabbed to death Saturday morning in East Garfield Park, according to police, who later charged the girl’s mother with murder. Early Sunday, a woman in her 20s with stab wounds was pulled from the North Branch of the Chicago River.

Last weekend, 10 people were killed and 35 others were injured by gunfire in Chicago.

Monday morning

About 1 a.m. Monday, a 31-year-old man was killed in a Grand Crossing drive-by. He was walking in the 1400 block of East 73rd Street, when someone in a passing black SUV fired shots at him, Chicago police said. He was struck in the left shoulder, the armpit and taken to University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Sunday

A man was killed in a shooting Sunday night in East Garfield Park.

Earnest James, 21, was on the sidewalk about 11 p.m. in the 600 block of North Sawyer Avenue when someone in a gray sedan opened fire, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

He was struck in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

A 66-year-old man was killed and another wounded Sunday evening in a shooting in Englewood. The men were outside about 6:45 p.m. near a vehicle in the 6100 block of South Bishop Avenue when someone fired shots, striking the older man in the head and the younger man in the leg, police said. Both were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where the 66-year-old man was pronounced dead, police said. A 54-year-old was listed in good condition.

Earlier in the evening, a 20-year-old man died after being dropped off at St. Bernard Hospital in Englewood with a gunshot wound to his head. The man, 20, was dropped off about 5 p.m. at the hospital, 326 W. 64th St., Chicago police said. He was pronounced dead on arrival. Investigators believe he was shot in the 6900 block of South Woodlawn Avenue in the Grand Crossing neighborhood.

Saturday

Saturday evening, a 15-year-old boy was fatally shot in West Pullman on the Far South Side. The boy was shot in the head about 9:20 p.m. in the 11600 block of South Prairie Avenue, police said. Omar Alvarado was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he later died, officials said. He lived in suburban Harvey.

A 17-year-old boy was shot dead by two gunmen about 11:30 a.m. Saturday on the West Side. Avion Aldridge was in an alley in the 200 block of North Leamington Avenue when two gunmen opened fire, authorities said. He suffered a gunshot wound to his chest and died at the scene, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. The suspects left in a light-colored vehicle.

Hours earlier, a 20-year-old man was found fatally shot nearby in the Austin neighborhood. Richard Soward was found with unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds shortly before 5 a.m. in the 200 block of North Latrobe Avenue, officials said. He died at the scene.

Minutes earlier, a 42-year-old man was shot during a backyard gathering in Grand Crossing on the South Side. Rayalecio Purman was in the 7000 block of South Harper Avenue about 4:10 a.m. when someone walked up to him and shot him in the back, officials said. He was rushed to University of Chicago Hospital where he died, police said. Purman lived in Englewood.

Friday

The first fatal shooting of the weekend left a 19-year-old man dead Friday night on the South Side. Cornelius Pulthus Jr. was walking in an alley with two other people in the Burnside neighborhood when someone opened fire and struck him in the chest and back, officials said. The shooting happened about 10 p.m. in the 9400 block of South Vernon Avenue, police said. He died later at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

No arrest has been announced in any of the the fatal shootings.

Five teens wounded

Five other teenagers were wounded in citywide shootings this weekend.

• A 15-year-old boy who was shot in South Shore was the weekend’s latest teen victim. He was outside about 5 p.m. when a vehicle pulled up on him in the 7000 block of South Kingston Avenue and opened fire, police said. The teen was struck in the leg and taken to South Shore Hospital, where he was in good condition.
• Earlier in the afternoon, two 14-year-old boys were shot in West Pullman. Someone in a dark vehicle fired shots at the teens about 3:45 p.m. as they walked in the first block of East 123rd Street, police said. One boy was struck in the thigh, while the other was struck in the arm. Both were taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where they were stabilized.
• A 17-year-old boy was critically wounded in a drive-by Sunday morning in Englewood on the South Side. About 2:10 a.m., he was standing in an alley in the 1300 block of West 64th Street when someone inside a passing silver-colored sedan fired shots at him, police said. He was hospitalized in critical condition.
• On Saturday, another 17-year-old boy was among two people who were shot in Bridgeport on the South Side. A male suspect fired shots about 9:05 p.m. in the 3200 block of South Morgan Street, police said. The teen was struck in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition, police said. A 36-year-old man showed up to the hospital later in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

3 women shot on Park Manor porch

Just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday, three women were shot in Park Manor on the South Side. They were sitting on a porch with several males in the 6700 block of South Wabash Avenue when a male emerged from a nearby alley and opened fire, police said.

Two 18-year old women were struck, one in the right leg and the other in the torso and left leg, police said. Another woman, 24, was taken to the same hospital with a gunshot wound to the left leg. They were all listed in good condition.

At least 32 other people were shot between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.

Shootings up 50% from last year

Overall, shootings and murders are up 50% compared with last year, according to Chicago Police Department statistics. Through Sept. 20, police have recorded 560 murders in 2020 compared with 374 murders during the same time in 2019. Murders this year are already higher than they were during the same time frame in 2016 — Chicago’s most violent year in recent memory.

The city has seen more than 2,300 shootings in 2020 compared with about 1,500 over the same time in 2019, according to the statistics.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.