Teen killed in Austin shooting; 2 suspects arrested

A 17-year-old boy was shot to death Wednesday in Austin on the West Side.

He was walking in an alley about 11:30 a.m. in the 200 block of North Central Avenue when two males shot him in the abdomen, according to Chicago police.

He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died, police said.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified him as Dailon Russel.

Both suspects were taken into custody, police said. Area Four detectives are investigating.

The Austin neighborhood has seen three other homicides in the past week.

On Tuesday, Royzeal Jones, 33, was fatally shot in the 300 block of North Latrobe Street, officials said.

Last Friday, two people were killed in the neighborhood. Daniel Jones, 27, was shot and killed just blocks away in the 5700 block of West Midway Park. Avion Aldridge, 17, was fatally shot in an alley in the 200 block of North Leamington Avenue.

Chicago police’s 15th District, which includes Austin, has seen a 44% increase in shootings so far this year compared with the same time in 2019. The district has seen 148 shootings through Sept. 27, compared with 103 shootings during the same time in 2019, according to police statistics.

Despite the district’s jump in gun violence, shootings in 2020 are still 37% below what they were in 2016.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.