Richard Chambers was killed and another man was wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon in the South Shore neighborhood, ending the longest stretch of days without a fatal shooting that Chicago witnesses all year.

The 21-year-old Chambers was standing on a sidewalk with a 20-year-old man in the 7900 block of South Exchange at 1:11 p.m. when a white SUV drove down the street and someone inside opened the rear door and started shooting, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Both men were taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where Chambers died of a head wound at 2:11 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the 100 block of East 114th Place.

The younger man was shot in the right foot and was listed in good condition, police said.

Chambers’ death marked the city’s first fatal shooting in more than four days, the longest stretch without a fatal shooting this year. The last fatal shooting had happened at 12:52 a.m. Sunday in the Albany Park neighborhood.

Previously, the longest period of time without a fatal shooting was just over 81 hours—3 days, 9 hours and 23 minutes—in late April.

So far in 2016, there have been at least 769 homicides in the city, including 11 people who died this year after being shot, stabbed or assaulted in previous years. Of those homicides, at least 693 were gun-related, according to Chicago Sun-Times records.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By JORDAN OWEN and SAM CHARLES
Chicago Sun-Times

Community activist Andrew Holmes (center) speaks last month at the McKinley Park lagoon, where the head of 20-year-old Quesola Mimms was found last September. | Sam Charles/Sun-Times

Mimms’ head was found in a bag in the lagoon by a park district worker about 10 a.m. Sept. 23, authorities said at the time. Though the lagoon was drained, the rest of her body has yet to be found.

An autopsy at the time did not rule on cause and manner of death, but has since been ruled homicide by unspecified means, the Cook County medical examiner’s office announced Thursday.

Her last contact with her family had been Sept. 21, but no missing person report was ever filed for Mimms, according to Chicago Police.

Mimms filed a police report on Sept. 12 for criminal damage to property, though that incident was not thought to be violent or domestic-related, according to a police source.

Community activist and crisis responder Andrew Holmes announced a $2,000 reward for information leading to her killer’s arrest and conviction in November.

“You are cruel. You are not human,” Holmes said in reference to her killer.

Holmes said Mimms had a 1-year-old daughter, and the child often asks where her mother is. The girl now lives with her grandmother.

At the time of her disappearance, Mimms was slated to start a new job in a factory, he said.

Police did not have any updates on the case Thursday and said the investigation is ongoing.

Derrick Jones and Stephen Tucker were shot to death on the block where they lived in the West Side Austin neighborhood late Friday.

Authorities investigate a double homicide outside an Austin neighborhood home late Friday. | Network Video Productions

At least one person opened fire on them as they walked out, police said.

Jones was shot across the body and was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:19 p.m. Tucker, known to friends as Sosa Lex, died at Mount Sinai Hospital at 11:44 p.m. after suffering wounds to the head and back, authorities said.

Both lived on the block where they were killed.

Authorities investigate a double homicide outside an Austin neighborhood home late Friday. | Network Video Productions

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Fabian Ortega was shot to death early Christmas morning in the Gage Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

At 1:33 a.m., the 18-year-old Ortega was driving north in the 5300 block of South Francisco when shots rang out and he was struck in the neck and back, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Ortega, of the 3500 block of West 83rd Place, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:16 a.m., police and the medical examiner’s office said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Nathaniel L. Edwards was fatally shot on Christmas Even in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side.

At 8:54 p.m., the 30-year-old Edwards was found unresponsive in a backyard in the 8900 block of South Hermitage, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Edwards, of the 10600 block of South Aberdeen Street, was shot on the left side and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead minutes later at 9:03 p.m., police and the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy Sunday ruled his death a homicide.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with expenses.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

David McClure was fatally shot Christmas morning in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the Far South Side.

Officers responded to a call of a person shot about 9:50 a.m. and found the 24-year-old McClure in the 1100 block of West 112th Place with multiple gunshot wounds, Chicago Police and the the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

McClure, who lived on the same block where he was shot, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 10:37 a.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Niko L. Walker was found shot to death early Christmas morning in the South Shore neighborhood.

The 21-year-old Walker was found at 12:49 a.m. Sunday, lying on the ground in the backyard of a home in the 2600 block of East 76th Street, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Walker, of the 5700 block of South Paxton, had been shot in the head, and was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:12 a.m., police and the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy Sunday ruled his death a homicide.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

After being shot in the chest on the block where he lived in the West Side Austin neighborhood, Demetrius L. Newell died five days later on Christmas Eve.

The 28-year-old, known to friends as "HollywoodMagic," was in the 1500 block of North Mayfield at 12:32 p.m. Dec. 19 when someone walked up and fired shots, striking him in the chest, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The shooter then ran away.

Newell, who lived on the block where he was shot, was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center. He was pronounced dead there on Christmas Eve at 4:05 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Jamil Farley was shot multiple times and died minutes later at a hospital on Christmas Day in the South Shore neighborhood.

About 4:28 p.m., officers responded to a call of a person shot in the 2800 block of East 79th Street and found the 25-year-old with gunshot wounds to the back, leg and head, according to Chicago Police.

Farley, of the 9900 block of South Clyde Avenue, was taken to South Shore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:40 p.m., according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Jerry Thomas was shot to death on Christmas Day in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side.

At 1:45 p.m. Sunday, the 22-year-old was in the 4400 block of West Chicago Avenue when a black truck drove by and someone inside fired shots, striking him multiple times, according to Chicago Police.

Thomas, of the 1200 block of South Kolin Avenue, was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:21 p.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By MICK DUMKE, MITCH DUDEK and JORDAN OWEN
Chicago SUn-Times Wire

Two brothers were killed and five other people were wounded in a Christmas night shooting in Chatham. / Mitch Dudek for the Sun Times

But she says the middle-class neighborhoods in the heart of her ward have largely been spared.

That changed on Christmas night, when 18-year-old James Gill and his brother, 21-year-old Roy Gill III, were killed and five other people were wounded when a gunman opened fire on a group of people on the porch of an East Chatham bungalow. The motive isn’t clear. Police are still investigating.

“I’m stunned,” Harris said Monday. “I really am. This is something I’ve never had to deal with.”

The 8600 block of South Maryland Avenue, where the shooting occurred, is in an area of bungalows and other single-family homes that the alderman and other residents describe as “quiet.” Many residents moved there with their families decades ago.

Until the shooting, no gun-related crimes had been reported on the block for more than four years, records show.

“This is not typical for Chatham or Avalon Park,” Harris said. “Chatham is a place I dreamed of living when I was growing up. Everyone wanted to live there. It’s still a beautiful community. ... This is just off the chain. I’m deeply saddened. I don’t have the words for it.”

The shooting happened about 9:20 p.m. on Christmas night, when someone wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt walked out from an adjacent alley and opened fire on the group on the porch, according to Chicago Police.

The shooter then ran from the scene, which is about 100 yards from a bank on 87th Street and a strip mall anchored by a Walgreens and Target.

James Gill was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His Older brother Roy was shot multiple times and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

A 35-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was also taken to Christ, where he was listed in critical condition, police said.

A fourth male, whose age was not known, was shot in the body and was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital, police said. A 27-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman both suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and were taken to Stroger, where their conditions were stabilized.

A 39-year-old man shot in the foot later showed up at Roseland Community Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, police said.

“We heard the shots and hit the deck,” a neighbor who asked not to be named said Monday morning. “There’s people in and out of that house all the time.”

Litter, including an empty bottle of Ketel One vodka and empty beer cans, were strewn across the lawn near police tape that cordoned off the crime scene.

A police officer guarding the scene said at least five shell casings were recovered as the snow covering a patch of grass outside the home melted overnight.

There are several surveillance cameras adjacent to the home and at least two security cameras in buildings 50 yards away.

Harris said she and other aldermen are searching for answers to the bloodshed that keeps hitting Chicago. “I think we all have these very broad dialogs about what we can do and how we can reach people. But we don’t really know the why, so it’s really difficult to work through it.

“For the residents who live here, it really shakes you to your core. I really wish I had the answers.”

The mass shooting in Chatham was among dozens of violent incidents that left 11 dead and 49 wounded over the long holiday weekend.

Over the Christmas weekend a year ago, six people were slain while 24 others were shot and wounded.

A total of 781 have died from violence in Chicago so far in 2016, the most in 20 years.

Chicago Police Department officials blamed the violence on gang conflicts and weak gun laws, as they have for years.

“Detectives are making progress in several incidents,” department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a written statement. “We now know that the majority of these shootings and homicides were targeted attacks by gangs against potential rivals who were at holiday gatherings. This was followed by several acts of retaliatory gun violence.”

Police seized 45 illegal guns between Friday and Monday, he added.

A man who was shot to death early Christmas Eve in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side has been identified as 27-year-old Juan Gonzalez.

Just after midnight, officers responding to a shooting in the 3000 block of West 38th Place found Gonzalez on the ground with gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the 3300 block of West 38th Street.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Christopher D. Brown was shot to death Tuesday afternoon while walking in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood on the South Side.

Brown, 23, was walking at 5:08 p.m. in the 6400 block of South King Drive when two people walked up and fired several shots, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:46 p.m., authorities said. Brown lived in the 10700 block of South Wentworth.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

The week started out with longest period of time without a fatal shooting in the city all year, but it ended with bloody holiday weekend that ended with at least 14 people dead from violence in Chicago.

The city saw a peaceful period from early Sunday morning until Thursday afternoon, a period of over 4 1/2 days without a fatal shooting. Then came the Christmas holiday, which was anything but peaceful, with at least 11 people killed and dozens of others shot.

When it was all over, 14 people were killed last week, bring the year's total to over 780, including about a dozen who died this year after being shot or assaulted in previous years, according to Sun-Times Wire record.

The horrific holiday weekend ended with a mass shooting in the East Chatham neighborhood that left two bothers dead and five other people wounded, two of them critically.

It happened Christmas night about 9:20 p.m., when people were gathered for a family party on the porch of a home in the 8600 block of South Maryland. Someone wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt walked out from an adjacent alley and opened fire, according to Chicago Police. The shooter then ran away.

James Gill, 18, was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His older brother, 21-year-old Roy Gill III, was shot multiple times and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

A 35-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was in critical condition, while a fourth male, whose age was not known, was shot in the body and was also in critical condition, police said. A 27-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman both suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and were stabilized. A 39-year-old man shot in the foot later showed up at a hospital and was listed in good condition, police said.

• Another man was fatally on Christmas in the South Shore neighborhood, police said. About 4:28 p.m., police responded to a call of a person shot in the 2800 block of East 79th Street and found 25-year-old Jamil Farley with gunshot wounds to the back, leg and head, according to police and the medical examiner's office. He was taken to South Shore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
• A few hours earlier, a man was shot to death in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side. At 1:45 p.m., 22-year-old Jerry Thomas was in the 4400 block of West Chicago Avenue when a black truck drove by and someone inside fired shots, striking him multiple times, according to police and the medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
• On Christmas morning, a man was fatally shot in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the Far South Side. Officers responded to a call of a person shot about 9:50 a.m. and found the 24-year-old in the 1100 block of West 112th Place with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. David McClure, who lived on the same block, was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, according to the medical examiner’s office.
• A man was shot to death earlier Christmas morning in the Gage Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. At 1:33 a.m., the 18-year-old was driving north in the 5300 block of South Francisco when shots rang out and he was struck in the neck and back, according to police. Fabian Ortega was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
• Christmas morning got off to violent start when a man was shot to death in the South Shore neighborhood. The 21-year-old was found at 12:49 a.m. lying on the ground in the backyard of a home in the 2600 block of East 76th Street, according to police. Niko L. Walker had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
• A man was fatally shot Saturday night in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. At 8:54 p.m., the 30-year-old man was found unresponsive in a backyard in the 8900 block of South Hermitage, according to police. Nathaniel L. Edwards was shot on the left side and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, the medical examiner’s office said.
• A man who had been shot Monday afternoon in the West Side Austin neighborhood died five days later on Christmas Eve. Demetrius L. Newell, 28, was in the 1500 block of North Mayfield at 12:32 p.m. Monday when someone walked up and fired shots, striking him in the chest, according to authorities. The shooter ran away. Newell, who lived on the same block, was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead Christmas Eve at 4:05 p.m.
• A man who was shot to death earlier on Christmas Eve in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Just after midnight, officers responding to a shooting in the 3000 block of West 38th Place found the 27-year-old on the ground with gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen. Juan Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene.
• Two men were shot to death in the Austin neighborhood late Friday on the West Side. At 10:50 p.m., 20-year-old Stephen Tucker and 21-year-old Derrick Jones walked outside after a phone conversation in a home in the 500 block of North Laramie, when at least one person opened fire, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

  The older man was shot across the body and pronounced dead at the scene; the younger man died at Mount Sinai Hospital about an hour later of wounds to the head and back, authorities said. Both lived on the block where they were killed.

• A 21-year-old man was killed and another wounded in a shooting Thursday afternoon in the South Shore neighborhood. Richard Chambers was standing on a sidewalk with a 20-year-old man in the 7900 block of South Exchange at 1:11 p.m. when a white SUV drove down the street and someone inside opened the rear door and started shooting, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

  They were taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where Chambers died of a head wound at 2:11 p.m., authorities said. The younger man was shot in the right foot and was listed in good condition.

  The fatality was the first shooting death in more than four days, the longest stretch without a fatal shooting in Chicago this year. The previous fatal shooting happened at 12:52 a.m. Sunday in the Albany Park neighborhood.

• A 58-year-old man was stabbed to death Monday night in the North Kenwood neighborhood on the South Side. Anthony Durham was stabbed in the chest at 7:37 p.m. during a domestic altercation in the 4300 block of South Ellis, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

  Durham, who lived in the same block, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead an hour later, the medical examiner’s office said. Police initially said someone was taken into custody, but that person was later released without charges.

By JORDAN OWEN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Roosevelt Shaffer | Cook County Sheriff's Dept.

Roosevelt Shaffer pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder before Judge Nicholas Ford, according to Cook County court records.

About 10 a.m. on Feb. 14, 2014, Shaffer and the 69-year-old Robinson got into argument about a jacket at the Bethel Terrace Senior Living facility at 900 W. 63rd St., authorities said at the time.

Shaffer then stabbed Robinson in the chest with a boning knife, authorities said. Robinson was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died about an hour later.

After the stabbing, Shaffer went to his apartment, had a cigarette and washed the knife, authorities said. He admitted to the attack and said he thought he only "nicked" Robinson.

Judge Ford sentenced Shaffer to 12 years in prison Thursday, according to court records. He will receive credit for 1,044 days served in the Cook County Jail, and will get three years of supervised release.

He was booked into the Stateville Correctional Center to begin serving his sentence Friday, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records.

Jamil Al-Shaubi was shot Monday evening in the Back of the Yards neighborhood and died about five hours later.

At 5:51 p.m., the 25-year-old was walking in the 4400 block of South Hermitage when someone got out of a vehicle and fired shots, striking him multiple times, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Al-Shaubi was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died at 10:30 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the 8000 block of West Thomas Street.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

By SAM CHARLES
Chicago Sun-Times

Urban Prep Academy student Yuri Hardy was fatally shot while leaving a dance competition in Austin on Wednesday night.

The 19-year-old was the fourth Urban Prep student or alumnus to be shot to death in Chicago since the start of the year, according to a letter sent to the school community from the network’s founder and president, Tim King.

Hardy was walking south in the 100 block of North Central just before 8 p.m. Wednesday when he was shot, according to police. He lived in Austin, about a mile and a half from where he was shot.

He was unresponsive when officers arrived and was pronounced dead at 1:14 a.m. Thursday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. No one was in custody for the shooting as of Friday evening.

“It is difficult for me to comprehend that I’m writing yet another letter to you about another senseless act of violence against a member of our community,” King wrote.

Hardy was described as “a fun-loving young man who enjoyed being with his friends and family.”

“While we mourn the loss of Mr. Hardy and are infuriated by the disregard for life that resulted in his death, we cannot be diverted from our work,” King added. “We must not allow these data to become their destiny.”

Hardy was a senior at the school’s West campus, located in the University Village neighborhood. After college, he had plans to be an entrepreneur, King said.

Hardy’s family could not be reached Friday evening, though a man identifying himself as Hardy’s cousin wrote on Facebook: “He wasn’t a drug dealer, Gangbanger or Thug.”

Another man, who said he was Hardy’s brother, wrote: “We gotta rebuild our community running away from it not gon change nothing and neither is vengeance I love you Lil bro.”

Chicago Police say 19-year-old Carlos James was fatally shot by a man he attempted to rob Friday afternoon in the West Garfield Park neighborhood.

The 33-year-old man was in the 4800 block of West Ferdinand to purchase something he saw for sale online. He was confronted by the teen, who announced a robbery and showed a gun, police said. A struggle ensued, and James was shot in the chest about 12:25 p.m., according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Jame, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:30 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office. He lived in the same block as the shooting.

Police said the older man suffered bruises during the struggle, and that a single gun was recovered at the scene. Area North detectives were investigating.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Louis Pena was found shot to death Friday morning in the office trailer of a business he owned in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

The 64-year-old was found with two gunshot wounds to his head at 9:20 a.m. in the 4200 block of South Keating, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Pena, of the 3800 block of West 65th Street in West Lawn, was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:29 a.m., authorities said.

The owner of a trucking firm, he was found dead inside the office trailer of his business, according to police. No motive is known and no one wass in custody as of Saturday morning.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Sylvia Brice was killed and another woman critically wounded in what police called a domestic stabbing Saturday afternoon in the Princeton Park neighborhood on the South Side.

The domestic-related attack happened at 2:08 p.m. in the 9300 block of South Wentworth, according to Chicago Police.

Brice, 52, was stabbed multiple times and was taken to University of Illinois Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 2:29 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy for Brice, a mother and grandmother who lived on the block where she was killed, found she died of multiple stab wounds in an assault and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.

A 30-year-old woman also suffered multiple stab wounds to the abdomen and was taken in critical condition to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to police.

No one was in custody as of Saturday afternoon.

--Chicago Sun-Times Wire