Man fatally shot breaking up fight in Austin, 1 in custody

Kenny Winters, 42, was trying to break up a fight between two males in the 1600 block of North Cicero Avenue when one pulled out a gun and fired shots.

SHARE Man fatally shot breaking up fight in Austin, 1 in custody
A man was fatally shot Feb. 5, 2021, in Austin.

A man was fatally shot Feb. 5, 2021, in Austin.

Sun-Times file photo

One person is in custody after a man was shot to death Friday while trying to break up a fight in Austin on the West Side.

Kenny Winters, 42, was attempting to break up a fight between two males about 9:10 p.m. in the 1600 block of North Cicero Avenue, when one of the males pulled out a gun and fired shots, striking Winters in the back and leg, Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Winters, of Brighton Park, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

An autopsy conducted Saturday ruled his death a homicide.

Officers in a police helicopter saw a blue Volkswagen Passat that was involved in the homicide traveling away from the scene and officers on the ground attempted to pull the car over, police said.

The Volkswagen struck a Nissan sedan in the 2800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue and then hit an unmarked squad car that had its lights activated in the 3100 block of North Kedzie Avenue, police said.

A man from the Volkswagen was placed into custody in the 3200 block of North Troy Street, police said. He was to Community First Hospital for observation and charges were pending against him.

Two other males who fled the Volkswagen on foot were not in custody, police said.

Area Five detectives are investigating.

The Latest
Despite getting into foul trouble, which limited him to just six minutes in the second half, Shannon finished with 29 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Cowboy hats, bell-bottoms and boots were on full display Thursday night as fans lined up for the first of his three sold-out shows.
The incident occurred about 3:40 p.m. near Minooka. The horse was successfully placed back into the trailer, and the highway reopened about 40 minutes later. No injuries were reported.
The Hawks conceded the game’s only two goals within the first seven minutes and were shut out for the 12th time this season in a 2-0 defeat Thursday.