Shootings, Stabbings, Homicides Make for Violent Weekend

Chicago - Violence over the weekend did not slow down much from previous weeks in spite of cooler weather, though the number of fatalities was lower than it has been recently.

In the period from Friday afternoon through late Sunday, one person was shot to death in the city and another in the suburbs, while three people were the victims of vehicular homicides.

Other acts of violence included four people injured in stabbings, a 3-year-old girl injured from a brick thrown through a car window, and at least a handful of others seriously wounded in shootings.

FRIDAY:

-- Friday afternoon, an 18-year-old man allegedly fired a gun at police as he was attempting to flee from them on the South Side. No officers were injured in the shooting about 1 p.m. on the 7000 block of South Hermitage Avenue, police said. Desean Lewis dropped his weapon after an officer fired at him, police said. He was taken into custody and charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder. He was also wanted on a warrant in an unrelated murder investigation.

-- About 11:30 p.m., a 3-year-old girl was injured when a man threw a brick through the window of a car she was sitting in at Fullerton and Cicero on the Northwest Side. The girl was taken to Children's Memorial Hospital in serious condition after being struck in the head. Alextino Jimenez of the 5000 block of West Montana was charged with aggravated battery of a child.

SATURDAY:

-- A 30-year-old man riding in the back of a car was shot on the 1300 block of West 14th Place about 5 p.m. Two men fired several shots into the rear window of the car, striking the victim in the hip. He was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in an unknown condition.

-- About 5:10 p.m., two people were killed in a four-car crash at 75th and State streets. Killed were Christopher Chatman, 27, and Ardella Wells, 87. Darnell Wells, 52, of the 10500 block of South Racine, was charged with two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI.

SUNDAY:

-- A few minutes after midnight a 20-year-old reputed street gang member was chased down a South Side street by another man who fatally shot him. Witnesses told police Frederick Evans of 6817 S. Ada St. had been involved in a dice game prior to the shooting. They then saw Evans being chased. He was fatally shot in the alley at 522 W. 58th St. Police recovered the gun after the shooter placed it on a garbage receptacle.

-- Also just after midnight, a 32-year-old man was shot multiple times in the West Side's Lawndale community. The shooting happened on the 3900 block of West Ogden Avenue, where the man was approached by two men who chased him and fired at him. The victim was in "guarded" condition at Mount Sinai Hospital.

-- Howard Hodges, 34, of Park Forest, died early Sunday after he was shot then hit by a car on the South Side. An autopsy determined he died from multiple injuries from a vehicle striking him and his death was ruled a homicide. The shooting happened about 2 a.m. on the 8100 block of South Vincennes, where two other men were also reportedly shot. They told police that Hodges ran out into the street after he had been shot and was hit by a car, which fled the scene.

-- About 5 a.m. Sunday, three men were shot at 47th Street and Homan, and according to unconfirmed dispatch reports, all three were reported in critical condition.

-- A 55-year-old Harvey man was fatally shot at his home in the south suburb. Amos Moore of 16030 Emerald Ave. was pronounced dead at 9:41 p.m. at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey. Sources said Moore was shot when he answered the door at his home and the incident may have been drug-related.

There were a trio of stabbings over the weekend, in which the victims were seriously injured.

-- A man in his 40s was stabbed on a sidewalk during a domestic argument on the 1800 block of South Harding Avenue about 5:20 p.m. Friday. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition. Police were looking for a male offender related to the victim.

-- A 23-year-old man was stabbed multiple times -- including once in the forehead -- on the 3100 block of West Walton Street about 1:15 a.m. Saturday. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in an unknown condition but he was speaking and conscious when he called for help, police said.

-- About 3:15 a.m., two men, ages 25 and 30, were stabbed on the 6600 block of South Carpenter Street. The 25-year-old was stabbed in the neck and the 30-year-old in the abdomen, according to police. They were taken to Christ Hospital in unknown conditions.