Man fatally shot in February’s first homicide identified

A 42-year-old west suburban man who was shot to death early Monday in the West Side Austin neighborhood has been identified.

Edward Flowers was discovered shot in the upper torso outside the back door of a business in the 500 block of South Cicero about 12:30 a.m., according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Flowers, of the 5700 block of West Roosevelt in Cicero, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:45 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy found he died of a gunshot wound to the back and his death was ruled a homicide.

A police source said he was a documented gang member.

The fatal shooting was the first homicide of February in Chicago.