Man held without bail in murder on notorious West Englewood block

SHARE Man held without bail in murder on notorious West Englewood block
ax039_19af_73.jpg

A reputed gang member was ordered held without bail Friday for allegedly shooting a man to death from his porch on a notorious West Englewood block.

The victim, Keith Jackson, 32, was killed Wednesday afternoon as he sat in a minivan with friends in the 2000 block of West 68th Place, the same block where three people were shot in May.

In April, two people were killed and three more wounded in another shooting there.

The alleged gunman in the latest shooting, Kevin Lenoir, 23, a reputed member of the Sangamon Assassin faction of the Gangster Disciples, has been charged with murder and attempted murder in the latest shooting, authorities said.

Jackson and his pals were in the neighborhood around 1:30 p.m. to pick up a female friend, Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini said.

The group didn’t know exactly where the young woman lived, so the driver went slowly around the block once, Santini said.

When they came back, they were one house west of Lenoir’s house, Santini said.

A witness saw 23-year-old Lenoir fire a black semi-automatic gun at the  minivan several times, Santini said.

The minivan started to drive away, but Lenoir allegedly continued to shoot 15 to 20 more times.

After he showered the van with bullets, Lenoir returned inside, Santini said.

Jackson was struck by a bullet on the right side of his neck as he sat in the back seat.

Another victim had the right side of his face cut up after bullets shattered the van’s windows.

Bullets also hit nearby homes, Santini said.

The driver of the minivan flagged down Chicago Police, and an ambulance took Jackson to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A few minutes after the shooting, the driver took officers to Lenoir’s house.

There, police recovered five, spent .40-caliber shell casings in the front yard and one, spent .40-caliber shell casing on Lenoir’s front porch, Santini said.

Police also recovered a loaded Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol and an AK-47 rifle with a collapsible stock in a book bag on the roof of the house.

Cops found Lenoir inside his home. Inside also were his stepfather, his mother, grandmother, cousin and five children, ranging from 8 to 16 years old, Santini said.

Lenoir repeatedly told officers he was the one they were looking for, Santini said.

A witness also identified Lenoir in a lineup as the man who shot at the minivan Jackson was riding in, Santini said.

There have been at least 25 calls for police service at Lenoir’s home in the last two years, Santini told Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr.

Some calls were about shots fired from the house, others about people being shot at the house, Santini elaborated.

Contributed: Sun-Times Media Wire


The Latest
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.
Many kids in the audience came dressed up. I would recommend parents encourage it, as their youngsters will undoubtedly make new friends at intermission finding others who love the characters they do, or who identify with other ones.
They mayor made it clear he will not remove the City Council member for appearing at a rally where an American flag was burned to protest U.S. support for Israel.
Archer Courts, 2242 S. Princeton Ave., will soon get a new hot water system, ventilation system and rooftop solar panels through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Leasure will make his major league debut on Thursday.