Man killed, 3 other people wounded in West Englewood mass shooting

A mass shooting in West Englewood left a man dead and three other people wounded Monday evening — the latest in a series of violent shootings in Chicago.

“It’s just a tragic, heartbreaking situation,” Pastor Donovan Price said of the spate of shootings.

The shooting unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. in the 6100 block of South Justine Street when a gunman opened fire on a group in an alley, police said.

A man was shot twice in his head and pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He was identified as Antoine Jones, 41, by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Police initially said he was 35.

Three others were wounded:

• A woman, 60, was shot in her head and taken to Holy Cross Hospital in critical condition.
• A woman, 52, was shot in her upper thigh and taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.
• A 64-year-old man was shot in his forearm and taken to University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.

The gunman was last seen running north on Justine, a police officer radioed shortly after the shooting. Police were initially dispatched to a ShotSpotter call about 10 gunshots in the area, according to the radio transmissions.

“Tell the ambulance to come to the alley,” an officer radioed.

The shooting may have stemmed from a domestic dispute. According to a police report, a witness told detectives the group was drinking in an alley when an ex-boyfriend of one of the female victims showed up and started shooting.

Police said no one was in custody.

Sandra Benton, who lives nearby, said people have been loitering in the alley all summer, even bringing chairs. But it had been peaceful until now, she said.

“I try to avoid that block,” she said.

The Englewood police district has seen a 6% increase in murders over last year, from 49 to 52 as of Oct. 22, according to police department statistics. Shootings are down 17%, from 218 to 182.

Price said he went to the scene after the shooting to try to meet family of the victims, but he met none. He lamented the recent string of violence that has also affected children.

“It’s pretty bizarre — to have a 12-, 13- and 14-year-old shot in the last few days,” Price said.

Sunday afternoon, 12-year-old Damien Green was shot and killed near Marquette Road and Lowe Avenue in Englewood. On Friday, a 13-year-old was wounded in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood. Earlier that day, a 14-year-old was wounded in the 5600 block of South Elizabeth Street, just blocks away from Monday’s shooting.

At least seven children 13 and younger have been the victims of homicide in Chicago this year, according to data kept by the Sun-Times. For all of last year, the total was 14.

At least 124 children 15 years and younger have been wounded or killed in shootings in Chicago this year, according to Sun-Times data. That total was 131 at the same time last year.

Price said the number of children shot rivals the numbers of attendance in a small school.

“If we were to imagine every child in the school got shot, that would be mind-boggling. But that’s basically what’s happened,” Price said.