Aug. 18--Two men were shot to death in less than half an hour within eight blocks of each other on the West Side, and at least 11 other people were wounded in shootings in Chicago Monday through early Tuesday, police said.
A 37-year-old man was killed on the porch of a two-flat greystone in East Garfield Park about 9:30 p.m. Monday in a shooting that also wounded a 34-year-old woman. The man has not been officially identified.
Officers worked in torrential rain, crowding together around the body on the small porch to stay dry.
Police blocked off the building, in the 3800 block of West Monroe Street, along with a patch of long, dead grass in front of it.
Other greystones on the block had green lawns and well-kept gardens, but the area near the crime scene was covered in litter: An empty bottle of Remy Martin cognac, a container of mayonnaise, a plastic to-go box streaked with nacho cheese. A neighbor said the house had been abandoned and was frequented by drug users.
About 10 p.m., sirens rang out over the thunder, and a uniformed officer jogged out of the crime scene and on to the sidewalk.
"Uh-oh, another one," he said to himself.
A 34-year-old woman had been found in the 4000 block of West Lake Street with a gunshot wound to the arm. She told police she was with the man at the greystone when she heard shots and felt pain, then ran from the scene.
She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where her condition was stabilized, said Officer Amina Greer, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Police Department.
Less than 30 minutes earlier, a 32-year-old man was fatally shot on another porch about half a mile away, in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.
Police found the man on a porch in the 4300 block of West Van Buren Street with gunshot wounds to the head and torso. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead about an hour after he was shot, said Sgt. Al Stinites, a Chicago Police Department spokesman.
The man was identified as Tavaris Hightie, of the 5000 block of West North Avenue in Chicago, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Other shootings:
--A 30-year-old man was struck in the leg in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side, Greer said. He was in the 7500 block of South Emerald Avenue at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday when someone approached and fired shots. He went to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition was stabilized.
--A man and a woman were wounded at 11:05 p.m. Monday in a shooting in the Grand Crossing neighborhood on the South Side, police said. The woman, 27, was in her car in the 1300 block of East 72nd Street while a 24-year-old man was standing outside the car talking to her. A dark sedan drove up and someone inside fired shots, Greer said.
The man was shot in the abdomen and took himself to Jackson Park Hospital. The woman was hit in the wrist and taken by ambulance to the same hospital. The condition of both was stabilized, Greer said.
--At 9:30 p.m. Monday, two men were on a porch in the 100 block of East 114th Place in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side when someone walked onto the porch and began shooting, authorities said.
A 23-year-old man was shot multiple times; he took himself to Roseland Community Hospital but was later transferred to Advocate Christ in critical condition. A 31-year-old man was shot in the leg and took himself to Roseland, where his condition stabilized, Greer said.
The shooting is believed to be related to a personal conflict rather than a gang issue, according to authorities.
--A 15-year-old boy was wounded about 6:40 p.m. Monday in the 4200 block of South California Avenue in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side, said Officer Nicole Trainor, a Chicago Police Department spokeswoman.
The boy suffered gunshot wounds to the arm and shoulder. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, Trainor said.
--About seven minutes before the Brighton Park attack, two boys and a man were shot in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. That shooting happened in the 4800 block of South Evans Avenue, said Officer Veejay Zala, a police spokesman.
A 13-year-old boy suffered wounds to right leg and foot. Another boy, age 15, was grazed in the hip. The third victim, an 18-year-old man, was shot in the left thigh. The juveniles were taken to University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital, and the man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, Zala said. Their conditions were stabilized, Trainor said.
According to preliminary reports, a gunman jumped out of a gray vehicle and fired shots. The vehicle then circled around and picked the gunman up before fleeing. Police believe the shooting was gang-related, Trainor said.
--Late Monday morning, a 33-year-old man was shot in both legs in the city's Albany Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. That shooting happened about 11:15 a.m. in the 3500 block of West Belle Plaine Avenue, said Officer Bari Lemmon, a police spokeswoman.
The man, who police said was a documented gang member, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, Lemmon said. Police were questioning two people in the Albany Park shooting.
