BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Eight people were murdered throughout Chicago last week.

Five of the killings happened over the weekend, when 29 people were shot.

The most recent murder happened when 17-year-old Jerome Harris was shot in the neck in the 1100 block of West 112th Place about 9 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Harris, of the 11000 block of South State Street, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died about an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

In the West Garfield Park neighborhood, 33-year-old Brian Davis was shot in the back in the 4100 block of West Jackson Boulevard about 7:25 p.m. Sunday, authorities said. Davis, of the 200 block of South Central Avenue, died at Mount Sinai Hospital less than an hour later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On the Near North Side, 32-year-old Martrell Ross was fatally shot in the 800 block of North Orleans Street about 3:50 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. Ross, of the 300 block of South Mozart Street, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner's office.

The shooting happened near nightclubs where rappers Nas and Big Boi were holding separate Lollapalooza after parties.

On Friday, 16-year-old Ramon Breceda was shot in the chest in the 2400 block of South Washtenaw Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood about 11:30 p.m., authorities said. Breceda, of the 2700 block of West 23rd Street, died less than an hour later at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, according to the medical examiner's office.

Prosecutors said aspiring Lating Kings Andrew Anania, 18, Ricardo Cortez, 15, and Eduardo Moreno, 15, shot Breceda as part of a gang initiation. All three were charged with first-degree murder.

About the same time in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, 28-year-old Orlando Lomax was stabbed and beaten to death during a fight with four males in the 3900 block of West North Avenue, authorities said.

Lomax, of the 1500 block of North Karlov, died at Mount Sinai Hospital minutes later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the South Shore neighborhood, police found 23-year-old Devin Pope fatally shot in the entryway of an apartment in the 6700 block of South Clyde Avenue about 3:40 a.m. Friday, authorities said.

Pope, of the 7200 block of South Paxton Avenue, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

On Thursday, 34-year-old Samuel Walker Sr. was fatally shot in a driveway in the 4100 block of West Crystal Street in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, authorities said.

The killing happened just two days before the funeral for his slain 13-year-old son, Samuel Walker Jr., who was fatally shot a week earlier in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

The killings started when 49-year-old Alvin Ivy was shot in the 200 block of South Western Avenue about 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to authorities. Police said Ivy and two teenagers were standing outside when a male exited a dark car and opened fire.

Ivy, of the 1300 block of South Kedzie Avenue, was shot in the chest and died at Stroger Hospital a short time later, authorities said. The teenagers, 17 and 18, were each shot in the leg and taken to Stroger Hospital for treatment, police said.

Additionally, 46-year-old Antwan James, of the 8000 block of South Carpenter Street, died Sunday morning after being shot July 21 in an alley in the 1200 block of West 72nd Place, authorities said.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 239 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including nine people killed by police.

Additionally, the state’s attorney’s office filed first-degree murder charges against a speeding motorist who killed an off-duty police officer while trying to flee police even though the autopsy ruled the death an accident.

Chicago Police, which counts murders different, have ruled some of those homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.

Steven Marshall, 28, was fatally shot Nov. 6 while in a vehicle in the 1400 block of West 73rd Place. Reader "pops" posted this about Marshall:

steve my son,my friend. may u rest in peace. we just know that God has u where he alone wants u. our hearts are broken by ur departure, but may the peace of God rest rule & abide in us all, till we meet again.

Vincente Obregon was shot to death Monday morning in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood.

Police found Obregon, 21, slumped onto the passenger's of a Chevrolet Blazer in an alley in the 7300 block of South Kedzie Avenue about 7:25 a.m. Monday and opened fire, authorities said.

Obregon, of the 6400 block of South Whipple Street, was shot twice in the chest and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn about an hour later, authorities said.

Police believe the gunman walked up, shot him and ran away. Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating if the shooting was gang related.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Darryl Allison was fatally shot Monday afternoon in the Englewood neighborhood.

Officers responding to shots fried found Allison, 26, lying next to a mini van with multiple bullet holes about 4:35 p.m. Monday in the 5500 block of South Emerald Avenue, authorities said.

Allison, of the 5000 block of South Wood Street, had been shot in the head died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

A teenager who was on parole for shooting a police officer in 2012 was killed in a Morgan Park neighborhood shooting Sunday night.

Jerome N. Harris, 17, was shot about 9 p.m. Sunday in the 1100 block of West 112th Place and died about an hour later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said.

An autopsy determined Harris, of the 11000 block of South State Street, died of multiple gunshot wounds to the back, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which ruled his death a homicide.

Harris had previously been charged with several felonies for allegedly firing shots at a police officer in August 2012, according to police and court records.

Police said the teen and an officer fired at each other about 8 p.m. Aug. 29, 2012, in the 1300 block of West 112th Place -- an incident Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy called a “gun battle.” The officer was hit in the leg, and the teen in the leg and side, police reports said.

Harris pleaded guilty in October 2013 to aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and aggravated assault of a police officer, court records show. The other charges, including attempted murder, were dropped.

He was sentenced in February to three years in prison, but he was given credit for more than 500 days served in the Cook County Jail and was paroled in March, court and Department of Corrections records show.

Nobody has been charged for Harris' murder. Area South detectives continue to investigate.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Orlando Lomax was stabbed and beaten to death Friday night in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. Reader "frances" posted this about the killing:

Because of some ignorant cowards my 3 tiny kids r left with out a father... I can't wait till they find these guys. U may laugh now n live life but when that day comes u have to face the man n I hope he sends u 4 to over burn in hell!!!!

Adam Lara / Family photo

BY KALEY FOWLER
Homicide Watch Chicago

Adam Lara, 16, was a quiet teenager who enjoyed "looking up facts" on the internet, his sister said.

Adam was fatally shot in the 2800 block of North Kenneth Avenue in the Hermosa neighborhood about 3:30 p.m. July 14, authorities said.

Just before the shooting, Adam and his 49-year-old father had gotten into an argument with two people at a nearby restaurant, authorities said. The father and son left and went back to their car, but the people they were arguing with followed and opened fire, police said.

Adam, of the 4000 block of North Central Park Avenue, was shot in the head and died about two hours later at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, authorities said. His father was shot in the back and was initially hospitalized in critical condition, police said.

Adam was the youngest of six children and had a close relationship with all of his siblings, said his sister, Salina Sandoval. She described him as an introvert who was a jokester only around family members.

Sandoval said Adam enjoyed listening to music, playing basketball and watching National Geographic. Adam would often search the internet to verify the information he learned on National Geographic, she said.

“If you told him anything, you’d have to prove it to him,” Sandoval said. “He loved facts and looking up facts.”

Although Adam enjoyed learning new facts, school didn't interest him, Sandoval said. He had recently finished his sophomore year at Lydia Urban Academy.

Adam's father, Uriel, was an avid runner, and his running club, Universal Sole, assisted the family with funeral costs and organized a memorial run.

“When we heard the news we immediately said that with the family’s approval we’d like to do something in their honor to help them out,” said Mark Rentfro of Universal Sole. “When something happens to one of our members, or to somebody we know in the community, our reaction is to get together and run.”

Adam’s sister, Salina Sandoval, said Adam often accompanied his father on runs and said it's heartwarming that the local running community launched a fundraiser to help with medical expenses.

“I don’t know these people, but they’re so giving,” Sandoval said. “The fact that they want to take time out of their busy schedules to put this kind of fundraising event together without needing anything from the family is a feeling that I’ve never felt before. It makes me realize that my father and brother were loved in the running community.”

After the shooting, the suspects ran westbound down an alley, police said.

Nobody has been charged for the murder. Area North detectives are investigating.

A south suburban man was shot to death in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood Monday night.

Gabriel Stevens, 39, was riding a bicycle in the 7600 block of South Hoyne Avenue when a red vehicle pulled up next to him about 9 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

A gunman exited the vehicle and opened fire, striking Stevens in the chest and arm, authorities said.

Stevens, of the 14000 block of South Dante Avenue in Dolton, died at the scene.

ABC 7 Chicago reported Stevens served in the Army and National Guard for five years after graduating valedictorian of his high school class.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area South detectives are investigating.

Kashif Tillis was shot to death Tuesday afternoon in the Englewood neighborhood.

Tillis, 29, was inside a vehicle in the 7200 block of South Morgan Street when a black car pulled up and somebody inside opened fire about 4 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

Tillis, of the 7000 block of South Paulina Street, was shot several times and died at the scene, authorities said.

The car drove off after the shooting, police said.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

Jerome N. Harris, 17, was fatally shot Sunday night in the Morgan Park community. Harris was on parole for shooting a police officer in the same neighborhood in 2012. Reader "chicagorich" posted this about the situation:

Amazing that you can shoot a police officer in this city and serve only 18 months. Really sad that this guy wasn't the only one who has done that and served less than two years for it.

Martrell Ross / Photo from Facebook

BY ANGELIQUE WHITE
Homicide Watch Chicago

Martrell Ross enjoyed rap music and dancing, his uncle said.

Ross, 32, was fatally shot about 3:50 a.m. Sunday in an alley in the 800 block of North Orleans Street, authorities said. The shooting happened near nightclubs hosting Lollapalooza afterparties for rappers Nas and Big Boi.

Ross was a polite, good-looking man with a creative mind, said Ross' uncle, Curtis Gross Sr.

“I raised him when he was younger after his father passed," Gross said. "I took him under my wing, he was over my house every weekend and I was like his dad."

Gross said Ross enjoyed rapping and dancing, even though he was not a good dancer when he was younger.

“I thought he was never going to learn how to dance, but he did, and now he’s actually pretty good..better than me even,” Gross said.

Authorities said Ross was killed on the same block as the nightclub Bodi, where rapper Nas was scheduled to host a party at the club following his Saturday Lollapalooza performance, according to the club’s website.

Another Lollapalooza performer, Big Boi of the duo Outkast, also played in the neighborhood Saturday night. He performed at Parliament nightclub near Chicago Avenue and Orleans Street, about a block south of Bodi.

Police said officers were on patrol in the area when they heard gunshots about 3:50 a.m. Sunday. Officers tried to “engage” a man fleeing scene, but failed to stop him, police said. An officer fired his gun at the man, but did not hit him, police said.

Officers found Ross, of the 300 block of South Mozart Street, dead in an alley with a gunshot wound in his abdomen, police said.

Gross believes an altercation with a young woman may have lead to the murder of his nephew.

“He was a likable person who got along with everybody,” Gross said.

However, court records indicate Ross was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a 2000 attempted murder conviction and six years in prison for a 2007 drug conspiracy conviction.

“Martrell might have had some misfortune when he was younger, but he was finally getting on the right track,” Gross said.

Nobody has been charged for the murder. Area Central detectives are investigating.

Jeremiah Shaw was shot to death Wednesday morning in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Officers found Shaw, 19, lying on a sidewalk in the 5400 block of South Laflin Street about 7:35 a.m., police said.

Shaw, of the 5900 block of South Wabash Avenue, was shot in the head and died at the scene, authorities said.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating if the slaying is gang related.

Kajaunce Morton, 16, was fatally shot inside a Grand Boulevard area restaurant July 18. Reader "MICHELLE" posted this about the murder:

I HOPE THEY CATCH THE KIDS WHO SHOT AND KILLED MY NEPHEW.

Mark Hall / Photo from Chicago Police

Two men have been charged with murder for separate shootings blocks apart that killed a deacon and a musician December 2013 on the South Side.

Mark Hall and Devin Aldridge, both 23, were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the Dec. 19, 2013, shootings that killed Deacon Willie Cooper and musician Eric “Guitar” Davis, authorities said.

Both Davis and Cooper were sitting in parked vehicles when they were shot about 30 minutes apart in the early morning hours, police said at the time.

Cooper, 74, was waiting to give a friend a ride to work when he was shot at 4:44 a.m. in the 7000 block of South East End Avenue. Davis, 41, was sitting in his vehicle in the 6700 block of South East End about 5:20 a.m. when he was shot, police said.

Both Davis, of the 14200 block of South Eggleston in Riverdale, and Cooper, of the 6800 block of South Crandon, were dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Family, police and Cook County Crime Stoppers passed out flyers in the neighborhood as recently as June asking for the public’s help to solve the shootings.

Devin Aldridge / Photo from Chicago Police

“Willie Cooper was a deacon of his church and a great person who would help anyone,” Crime Stoppers Chairman George McDade said in a statement in June. “Eric Davis is from a family of jazz musicians and had a promising career.”

McDade called both men “pillars in their community.”

Hall, of the 7000 block of South East End Avenue, and Aldridge, of the 1600 block of East 68th Street, are expected to appear in bond court Saturday, police said.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Mark Hall / Photo from Chicago Police

BY BRIAN SLODYSKO
Chicago Sun-Times

Tattooed across the throat of Mark A. Hall, one of two men accused of killing a deacon and a blues musician during botched robberies last December, is the phrase: “God 4 Gives I Don’t.”

On Sunday, it was Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois’ turn to be unforgiving. With a dismissive nod, Bourgeois ordered Hall held without bail as he awaits trial. His co-defendant, Devin Aldridge, was ordered held without bond on Saturday.

Hall and Aldridge, both 23, were charged with two counts each of first-degree murder for the early morning killings of deacon Willie Cooper and musician Eric “Guitar” Davis on Dec. 19, 2013, in the South Shore neighborhood, authorities said.

Cooper and Davis were shot to death within 40 minutes just blocks from each other, Assistant State’s Attorney Luz Toledo said in court.

In both cases, the men were in their vehicles waiting to pick up a friend, prosecutors said. Each tried to speed away to avoid getting robbed by Aldridge and Hall, prosecutors alleged. Instead, they both died in a hail of 9 mm bullets that were traced to the same handgun, according to prosecutors.

Cooper, 74, was shot at 4:44 a.m. in the 7000 block of South East End Avenue. Davis, 41, was sitting in his vehicle in the 6700 block of South East End about 5:20 a.m. when he was shot, police said.

Davis, of the 14200 block of South Eggleston in Riverdale, and Cooper, of the 6800 block of South Crandon, were dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Prosecutors credited the arrest of Aldridge and Hall to the work of family, police and Cook County Crime Stoppers. The groups distributed fliers with video surveillance images of the suspects in the neighborhood. Officers in the district recognized Aldridge and Hall from the fliers.

Devin Aldridge / Photo from Chicago Police

Prosecutors said a witness came forward in June and identified Aldridge as one of the people running away from the car after Cooper was fatally shot. Aldridge’s phone number also “pinged” a cell tower near the area of that homicide, prosecutors said. Surveillance footage shows Hall shooting Cooper, prosecutors said.

“Willie Cooper was a deacon of his church and a great person who would help anyone,” Crime Stoppers Chairman George McDade said in a statement in June. “Eric Davis is from a family of jazz musicians and had a promising career.”

McDade called both men “pillars in their community.”

Stanley Parker / Photo from Cook County Sheriff's office

BY BRIAN SLODYSKO
Homicide Watch Chicago

A Chicago man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s new beau earlier this month was ordered held without bond by a Cook County judge on Sunday.

Stanley “Rah Rah” Parker, 20, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the Aug. 1 fatal shooting of Devin Pope.

Pope was shot in the head outside his girlfriend’s apartment near East 67th Street and South Clyde Avenue, prosecutors said.

Pope, 23, had only recently taken up with Parker’s ex-girlfriend, prosecutors said. They went out for food early Aug. 1. When they returned, Pope looked for a parking spot while the 23-year-old woman went up to her apartment.

She was on her way downstairs to let Pope in when she heard a gunshot, prosecutors said. She found Pope lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his head on a walkway outside her building. The woman saw Parker running from the scene, prosecutors said.

Parker, who had dated the woman for about 2 1/2 years, later contacted the woman’s family and confessed to the shooting, prosecutors said.

He was apprehended by U.S. marshals at an undisclosed location last week, according to court records.

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Six people were fatally shot last week in Chicago.

All of the shootings happened on the South Side, with three of the slayings occurring in the Englewood or West Englewood communities.

The most recent murder happened when a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in the head about 8:30 p.m. in the 5900 block of South Justine Street in the West Englewood neighborhood, authorities said. His name was not being released Monday morning.

The teenager was one of 27 people wounded by gunfire over the weekend. He was the only person to die from the injuries.

On Wednesday, police found 19-year-old Jeremiah Shaw lying on a sidewalk in the 5400 block of South Laflin Street in the New City community about 7:35 a.m., police said. Shaw, of the 5900 block of South Wabash Avenue, was shot in the head and died at the scene, authorities said.

On Tuesday, 29-year-old Kashif Tillis was inside a vehicle in the 7200 block of South Morgan Street in Englewood when a black car pulled up and somebody inside opened fire about 4 p.m., authorities said.

Tillis, of the 7000 block of South Paulina Street, was shot several times and died at the scene, authorities said.

On Monday, 39-year-old Gabriel Stevens was riding a bicycle in the 7600 block of South Hoyne Avenue in the Auburn Gresham community when somebody inside a red vehicle shot him multiple times about 9 p.m., authorities said.

Stevens, of the 14000 block of South Dante Avenue in Dolton, died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

In Englewood, 26-year-old Darryl Allison was shot to death outside a minivan about 4:35 p.m. Monday in the in the 5500 block of South Emerald Avenue, authorities said.

Allison, of the 5000 block of South Wood Street, had been shot in the head died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County less than an hour later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

The killings started when police found 21-year-old Vincente Obregon shot inside an SUV in an alley in the 7300 block of South Kedzie Avenue in the Chicago Lawn community about 7:25 a.m. Monday, authorities said. Police believe the gunman walked up, shot him and ran away.

Obregon, of the 6400 block of South Whipple Street, was shot twice in the chest and died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn about an hour later, authorities said.

Nobody has been charged for any of the murders.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 244 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including nine people killed by police.

Additionally, the state’s attorney’s office filed first-degree murder charges against a speeding motorist who killed an off-duty police officer while trying to flee police even though the autopsy ruled the death an accident.

Chicago Police, which counts murders different, have ruled some of those homicides as involuntary manslaughter, justified self-defense or accidents.

A 16-year-old boy was shot to death Sunday night in the West Englewood neighborhood.

Jabari Scurlock was shot about 8:30 p.m. in the 5900 block of South Justine Street, police said.

Jabari, of the 1000 block of West 78th Street, was shot in the back and died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County less than an hour later, authorities said.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating if the shooting is gang related.

Darryl Allison, 26, was shot to death Monday afternoon in the Englewood neighborhood. Reader "id20" posted this about him:

Boo G was a hell of a softball player. The softball and his family will truly miss him, R.I.P Boo G #33