5 killed, 14 wounded in Thanksgiving weekend shootings

A domestic-related incident at a River North department store was among shootings throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend that have left five people dead and at least 14 others wounded.

Marcus Dee, 31, fatally shot himself after shooting 22-year-old Nadia Ezaldein in a domestic-related incident at the Nordstrom store at 55 E. Grand on Friday night, authorities said.

Dee shot Ezaldein — an ex-girlfriend, according to the deceased woman’s family — about 8:30 p.m. on the store’s second floor before turning the gun on himself, Chicago Police Chief of Detectives John J. Escalante said.

Ezaldein, a seasonal employee at the store, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on Saturday afternoon, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Dee was dead at the scene, and an autopsy on Saturday ruled his death a suicide.

Ezaldein’s sister — who asked not to be named — said Ezaldein dated Dee from August 2012 until she broke up with him in December 2013. Dee continued to abuse her sister after that, she told the Sun-Times.

He’d call and threaten to hurt or kill himself, forcing Ezaldein to change her phone number several times, she said.

“He called the entire family, consistently texting,” the sister said. “He Googled my entire family.”

The most recent fatal shooting happened Sunday afternoon in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side.

Emergency crews responded at 3:11 p.m. to the 7200 block of South Vincennes where a 22-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to the back, police said.

Darnell Williams was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 5:23 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Police said he had documented gang ties.

Later Friday, a Little Village shooting left an 18-year-old man dead.

About 11 p.m., Oscar Garcia was standing in the street in the 2500 block of South Central Park, when a gunman walked up, yelled gang slogans and opened fire, authorities said.

Garcia, of the 2800 block of South Millard, was shot beneath his right eye and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Earlier Friday evening, a man was found shot to death in the Washington Heights neighborhood on the South Side.

Joshua Rockett, 21, was found unresponsive with gunshot wounds to the back at 7:36 p.m. in the 9000 block of South Laflin. Rockett, of the 9200 block of South Wallace, was pronounced dead at 7:57 p.m., authorities said.

About 3:30 p.m. Friday, a teenage boy was killed and two others were hurt in a Chicago Lawn neighborhood shooting on the Southwest Side.

Jahakel Clark and two other boys, ages 14 and 16, were shot in the 3100 block of West 64th Street, police said.

Clark, of the 6500 block of South Fairfield, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Police said Clark was 16 years old, while the medical examiner’s office said he was 15.

Another boy, 14, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with a gunshot wound to the leg. His condition had stabilized, police said. A 16-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to his hand and was treated and released from Holy Cross Hospital.

The most recent nonfatal shooting happened Sunday afternoon in the South Side Chatham neighborhood.

About 1:45 p.m. a 52-year-old man was shot in the leg in the 8900 block of South Cottage Grove, police said. He was taken to Trinity Hospital where his condition had stabilized, police said.

At least 11 other people have been wounded in separate shootings across the city since 11:10 a.m. Thursday.

Additionally,

An off-duty Cook County sheriff’s officer shot and critically wounded a man who allegedy opened fire outside a bar in the River West neighborhood early Sunday.

The off-duty officer was standing across the street from the Funky Buddha Lounge in the 700 block of West Grand Avenue about 2:50 a.m. when he saw a man waving a handgun in a crowd, police said.

The man had been driving westbound on Grand Avenue when his vehicle struck several parked vehicles near the lounge, according to a police source. When patrons who were standing outside the club started approaching the man, he jumped out of his vehicle and fired shots.

The off-duty officer, who had been in a nearby establishment, saw everything, approached the man, announced his office and ordered him to drop the gun, police said. The man then turned toward the officer and fired more shots, police said.

The officer returned fire, striking the man multiple times, police said.

The 27-year-old man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was in critical condition Monday morning, police said.

After he was shot, the man dropped his weapon, police said. While the officer was waiting for assistance and securing the man, a second male picked up the gun and also fired at least one shot at the officer.

The second shooter then got in the man’s vehicle and sped away, police said. The officer was not injured.

Police said the man who was shot is a documented gang member.