Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
This afternoon will be sunny with a high near 40 degrees. Tonight’s low will be around 26 degrees. Tomorrow will be sunny and warmer with a high near 52 degrees.
Top story
13-year-old boy killed by police in Little Village after ‘armed confrontation,’ officials say
Police shot and killed a 13-year-old boy after an “armed confrontation” in Little Village early Monday, officials said.
Adam Toledo, 13, who lived in the neighborhood, was shot in his chest and later died in the incident, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
In a statement, police said officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert about 2:35 a.m. and saw two males standing in an alley in the Southwest Side neighborhood.
One armed person ran from the scene and was shot by a police officer during an “armed confrontation” in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue, police said. Farragut Career Academy High School is located at the end of the block.
That person, later identified as Toledo, died at the scene, police said. An autopsy found he died of a gunshot wound to his chest.
Police shared a photo of a gun allegedly recovered at the scene.
Rafael Hurtado Jr., 30, who said he has lived a few houses down from Toledo’s home for years, called the shooting tragic and urged CPD to release any footage related to the shooting.
“It’s hard to take CPDs word for it” that he was armed, he said. “Especially with everything that’s been going on with the police shootings in other places.”
He said that “it’s tragic for everyone involved, for the family, for the kid because he was so young and for the officer who pulled the trigger.”
The officer in Monday’s incident was placed on desk duty for 30 days while the Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigates the shooting, police said.
Read the full story from David Struett and Emmanuel Camarillo.
More news you need
- In-person Easter and Passover celebrations should be put on hold as coronavirus infection rates hop back up to troubling levels, the city’s top doctor warned today. Unless family members are fully vaccinated — meaning two weeks removed from their final dose — it’s best to keep gatherings virtual.
- Overall crime in Chicago remains down this year, but violent crime is up compared to the first three months of 2020. Murders rose by 33% while shootings spiked by 43%, according to police data.
- Nearly two years after federal prosecutors hit Ald. Edward M. Burke with a racketeering indictment, a resolution to his case seems nowhere in sight. Prosecutors are expected to file a massive brief by April 19, giving the judge even more paper to sort through before deciding how to proceed.
- Federal prosecutors want a judge to hand a stiff prison sentence to Gregory Paloian, a bookie with purported mob ties who was first charged last October. Our Jon Seidel reports the latest after a series of court records opened the widest window yet into the gambling case.
- The owners of Berwyn music venue Wire have been forced to put the well-equipped club up for sale. Co-owner Christopher Neville hopes that whoever buys the building will continue to use it for live music.
- Live music may be returning to the United Center this summer. James Taylor today announced his postponed world tour with special guest Jackson Browne will kick off at the Chicago venue on July 29.
A bright one
Cubs fans welcomed back to Wrigley Field for Opening Day
Thousands of overjoyed Cubs fans returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in over a year today for an unprecedented Opening Day matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Prior to the first pitch, throngs of fans chanted, cheered and posed for photographs under the Wrigley’s iconic marquee at the intersection of Clark and Addison streets. Tim Gerster, of Portage Park, said the city’s move to allow a limited number of fans back to ballparks marks a shift “back to normalcy.”
“A year’s too long to be away from the Cubs,” said Gerster, who has for a decade brought his teenage son to every home opener.
Kelli Serviss, a home health care worker from the Northwest Side, said she deserves a reprieve after working through the pandemic and being vaccinated.
“Walking through the gates, I want to see that first pitch. Give me that first pitch,” she said, adding she also couldn’t wait to hear the stadium’s organ.
“I’m getting chills,” her friend, Allison Hoehn, chimed in.
Read Tom Schuba’s full story on Opening Day here. And check out more photos of people gathered at Wrigley Field today here.
From the press box
In addition to the Cubs playing hosts to the Pirates this afternoon, the White Sox visit the Angels tonight with the first pitch set for 9:05 p.m. CT.
Our Russell Dorsey doesn’t shy away from the truth: If the Cubs expect to win this season, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javy Baez and Willson Contreras will have to play like stars.
High school sport editor Michael O’Brien today named his 2021 All-Area basketball team featuring the 20 best players from the recently ended season. Max Christie, the Rolling Meadows senior star who’s committed to Michigan State, earned Player of the Year honors after leading the Mustangs to a perfect 15-0 record.
And DePaul looks set to hire Oregon’s Tony Stubblefield as its next head basketball coach. Stubblefield, 51, served the last 11 years as an assistant for the Ducks and will not get a chance to put his stamp on the Blue Demons’ program.
Your daily question ☕
What’s the best April Fools’ Day prank you’ve ever pulled or had pulled on you?
Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday, we asked you: What’s your favorite thing about springtime in Chicago? Here’s what some of you said...
“The birds chirping. It’s still cold and gray, but they don’t care. Optimists!” — Jason Christian
“I always liked how the trees began to bloom. It’s so beautiful that one day it only has the buds and the next day you have a tree full of leaves.” — Neline Opt
“When it finally sticks around.” — Steve Sink
“Getting in chipping & putting practice and getting ready for that first glorious round of golf at the ol’ home course!” — Jim Rafferty
“Puddles that are actually surprise potholes.” — Abe Mel
“Sunny, 68 degrees and Sox baseball.” — Mike Walsh
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