Bobby Lee Battle has died from injuries suffered in a Chatham neighborhood shooting in May 2013, an autopsy determined.

Battle, 45, was walking in the 8200 block of South Maryland Avenue when somebody walked up and shot him in the he chest, back and arm about 7 p.m. May 11, 2013, authorities said.

Battle was initially taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and was later transferred to Bronzeville Park Skilled Nursing and Living Center, where he died at 10:24 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

A Saturday autopsy determined Battle died of complications from the multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Police did not have an update on the investigation Saturday afternoon.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Jose Rios was fatally shot near his Back of the Yards area home Saturday morning.

Rios, 23, was walking with another person in the 4500 block of South Hermitage Avenue when a dark van pulled up, somebody exited the passenger's side and opened fire about 6:15 a.m., authorities said.

Rios, of the 4300 block of South Paulina Street, was shot multiple times and died at Mount Sinai Hospital 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.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Leroyce Noel was stabbed to death in what police are calling a domestic attack in the Woodlawn neighborhood Saturday afternoon.

Noel, 20, was stabbed in the 6500 block of South Minerva Avenue about 3 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Noel, of the 7100 block of South Mozart Street, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 4:19 p.m. Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Nobody has been charged for the murder, but Area South detectives are questioning two people, police said.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Nehemiah Spencer / Photo from Chicago Police

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Nehemiah Spencer has been charged with murder after police claim he fatally stabbed a man who came to his girlfriend's aid during an argument.

Spencer, 24, got into the argument with his girlfriend in the 6500 block of South Minerva Avenue about 3 p.m. Saturday, police said.

The woman called her 34-year-old uncle and 20-year-old Leroyce Noel for help, authorities said.

When the uncle and Noel arrived, Spencer opened the door and stabbed Noel in the chest, authorities said.

Noel, of the 7100 block of South Mozart Street, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 4:19 p.m. Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The uncle suffered several lacerations and was treated at University of Chicago Hospital, police said.

Spencer, of the 6500 block of South Minerva Avenue, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder and aggravated battery involving a deadly weapon, police said.

He is expected to appear in court Monday for a bond hearing.

-- Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire

Scene where Miguel Hernandez was shot / Photo from NVP video

Miguel Hernandez was killed in a South Chicago area shooting that left two other people wounded Sunday night.

Hernandez, 24, was part of a group standing outside in the 8500 block of South Escanaba Avenue when a vehicle drove past and somebody inside opened fire about 11 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Hernandez, who lived on the block, was standing on a front porch and was shot in the head and right side, authorities said. He died at the scene.

An 18-year-old woman was shot in the left leg and a 35-year-old man was shot in the hand, police said. Ambulances took both to area hospitals for treatment.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

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

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

A 13-year-old boy was shot to death Sunday night in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood after being asked about his gang affiliation.

Demureya Macon was with a friend in the 6600 block of South Talman Avenue when a gunman walked out from a nearby alley and asked about his gang affiliation about 8:35 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

The gunman then opened fire and shot Demureya in the chest, police said.

Demureya, of the 6400 block of South Maplewood Avenue, tried to run away, but collapsed on a nearby sidewalk and died at the scene, authorities said.

A police report indicated Demureya was a seventh grader at Fairfield Elementary School and had no gang affiliations.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago

At least nine people were killed by violence last week in Chicago.

Nobody was killed in the city Tuesday through Thursday, the longest murder free stretch since early August. However, the week ended with a flurry of violence that left eight dead since Friday afternoon.

The most recent killing happened when 24-year-old Miguel Hernandez was shot while standing on a porch in the in the 8500 block of South Escanaba Avenue about 11 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Hernandez, who lived on the block, was shot in the head and right side and died at the scene, authorities said. An 18-year-old woman and 35-year-old man were also wounded but survived.

In the Chicago Lawn community, 13-year-old Demureya Macon was fatally shot in the in the 6600 block of South Talman Avenue after being questioned about his gang affiliation about 8:35 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Demureya, of the 6400 block of South Maplewood Avenue, tried to run away, but collapsed on a nearby sidewalk and died at the scene, authorities said.

In the Dunning area, police found a woman in her 30s and a young girl dead inside a home in the 3400 block of North Odell Avenue about 9 a.m. Sunday, police said.

Earlier, police in north suburban Waukegan responded to an incident involving a “suicidal man” who told officers he harmed his family and directed police to the Odell Avenue home, Chicago Police said.

Authorities have not yet released the identifies of the victims or said how they were killed.

On Saturday, 20-year-old Leroyce Noel was stabbed in what police called a domestic incident in the 6500 block of South Minerva Avenue in Woodlawn about 3 p.m., authorities said.

Noel, of the 7100 block of South Mozart Street, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 4:19 p.m. Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

In the Back of the Yards neighborhood, 23-year-old Jose Rios was shot while walking in the 4500 block of South Hermitage Avenue about 6:15 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Rios, of the 4300 block of South Paulina Street, was shot multiple times and died at Mount Sinai Hospital less than an hour later, authorities said.

On Friday, 27-year-old Malachi Baldwin was shot in the head in the 5700 block of South Aberdeen Street about 10:15 p.m., authorities said.

Baldwin, of the 5600 block of South Elizabeth Street, died at the scene, authorities said. Two men, 63 and 25, were wounded but survived, police said.

In the West Englewood neighborhood, 22-year-old Deandre Ellis was shot in the chest in a barbershop in the 1900 block of West 59th Street about 2 p.m., authorities said.

Ellis, 22, of the 5700 block of South Laflin Street, died at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn about an hour later, authorities said. Two men, 31 and 44, were also wounded but survived, police said.

The killings started last Monday when Mondele O. Heard was shot in the head in the 7800 block of South Homan Avenue 8:40 p.m., authorities said.

Heard, 20, of the 7800 block of South Sawyer Avenue, later died at Christ Medical Center, authorities said. A 23-year-old man and 24-year-old woman were wounded but survived, police said.

“[Heard] was a really peaceful guy,” said friend Julian Smith. “I can’t recall him ever getting into it with anybody. He wasn’t violent at all.”

Additionally, 34-year-old Bobby Lee Battle died Tuesday from injuries suffered when he was shot multiple times while walking in the 8200 block of South Maryland Avenue about 7 p.m. May 11, 2013, authorities said.

Last Monday, 34-year-old Richard Johnson of Riverdale died from injuries suffered when he was shot in the head early Sunday while driving in the 7700 block of South Stewart Avenue in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood, authorities said.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 319 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including 12 people killed by police.

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

Kamaal Burton / Photo Photo from Facebook

BY KALEY FOWLER
Homicide Watch Chicago

Kamaal Burton was a "walking radio" who announced his presence by blasting hip-hop music, his cousin said.

“We always heard Kamaal coming because he had his music blaring,” said Marquette Hearon. “He was always listening to hip-hop, especially King Louie -- he was Kamaal’s favorite.”

Hip-hop music no longer fills the Burton's home as the 18-year-old was fatally shot Sept. 18 in the Altgeld Gardens community.

Authorities said Burton was walking with another male near East 133rd Street and South Langley Avenue when two gunmen walked up and opened fire about 9:40 p.m. that night.

Burton, of the 13300 block of South Langley Avenue, was shot in the chest and died at the scene, authorities said.

Burton lived with his grandmother his entire life, said his cousin Cortni Turner.

“She had guardianship over him since he was two years old and they were extremely close,” Turner said. “He would do anything for his granny, and his death has been really hard on her because she raised him.”

Another cousin, Moriah Quinn, described Burton as a kind person.

“I don’t’ think I’ve ever seen Kamaal angry in the whole 18 years he’s been living,” Turner said. “There were no dull moments with Kamaal. Every time I think about him all I can do is smile.”

Hearon said Burton graduated in 2013 from Urban Prep Academy and said his cousin was accepted to multiple universities.

Burton loved playing all sports and was on the baseball team at Urban Prep, said Hearon, who added that Burton also enjoyed bowling and basketball -- especially the Chicago Bulls.

Burton enrolled at Illinois State University, where he studied business and hoped to start the university's real estate program in October, Hearon said.

However, another friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said Burton did not plan to return to ISU this year.

“He liked school more for the social aspect. He would go to class but he didn’t love it,” the friend said. “He stayed in Chicago instead of coming back to ISU for a second year. He felt more at home in the streets than he did at school”

Following the shooting, Say No More Entertainment hosted a remembrance ceremony on the ISU campus that drew about 50 people, the friend said.

Nehemiah Spencer / Photo from Chicago Police

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

A Woodlawn man was ordered held on $2 million bond Monday after police claim he fatally stabbed a man who came to his girlfriend’s aid during an argument.

On Saturday, Nehemiah Spencer got into an argument with his girlfriend, who called family members for a ride home and threatened to leave with their two children, said Assistant State's Attorney Glen Runk.

Spencer, 24, responded by hitting his girlfriend in the face, holding a knife to her neck and threatening to harm her family if they came to his apartment in the 6500 block of South Minerva Avenue, Runk said.

The woman's 34-year-old uncle and 20-year-old family friend Leroyce Noel arrived "a short time later," Runk said. Spencer then let both men into the apartment and stabbed Noel once in the chest with a claw knife about 3 p.m., authorities said.

A struggle ensued between Spencer and the uncle, who suffered "defensive wounds to his hands." Spencer then picked up "an ice pick like weapon" and stabbed the uncle in the back, Runk said.

Spencer's brother came out of a bedroom with a machete, broke up the fight and allowed the girlfriend and uncle to run away. The brother then took Noel into his bedroom, where another person attempted to help him, Runk said.

Noel, of the 7100 block of South Mozart Street, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at 4:19 p.m. Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Before police arrived, Spencer taunted his girlfriend and her uncle from an apartment window by telling them that their friend was dying, Runk said.

Spencer was taken into custody at the apartment and directed officers to the murder weapon, Runk said.

The uncle was treated at University of Chicago Hospital, police said.

Spencer, of the 6500 block of South Minerva Avenue, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder and aggravated battery involving a deadly weapon, police said.

On Monday, Judge James Brown ordered Spencer held on $2 million bond and ordered him back to court on Oct. 17.

Julian Garcia / Photo from Illinois Department of Corrections

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

A man already in prison on a gun charge was ordered held on $2 million bond Monday after prosecutors said he fatally shot a man going to a Super Bowl party last year in the Little Village neighborhood.

Salvador Ponce, 32, stopped at a store near South Kedvale Avenue and West 30th Street about 4:30 p.m. Feb. 3, 2014, on his way to a Super Bowl party, said Assistant State's Attorney Alex Molesky.

When Ponce exited the store, a green Chevrolet Venture pulled up to the intersection, Julian Garcia exited the passenger's side, yelled "King Love" and opened fire in the direction of Ponce and a 19-year-old man standing nearby, Molesky said.

Garcia, then 19, is a purported member of the Latin King street gang, which are rivals with the Two-Six street gang that is prominent in the Little Village community, Molesky said.

Ponce was shot once in the head, Molesky said. The bullets also struck two nearby vehicles and went through the kitchen window of an area apartment containing numerous children, she said.

Ponce, 2700 block of South Komensky Avenue, died the next day at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

After the shooting, Garcia got into the van, which fled the scene, Molesky said.

Multiple witnesses provided responding police officers with a physical description of the gunman, the getaway driver, the van and its license plates, Molesky said.

Garcia allegedly told numerous people about the murder and was later identified in a photo lineup as the gunman, Molesky said.

Garcia is currently serving a two year prison sentence at the Western Illinois Correctional Facility for possession of a gun with a defaced serial number, according to Illinois Department of Corrections record. He is projected to be paroled in March 2015.

While in prison on the gun charge, Garcia was charged with murder for Ponce's death and on Monday Judge James Brown ordered him held on $2 million bond. He will be back in court Oct. 21.

Geanni Boyd, 16, was fatally shot Sept. 4, 2013, in the Washington Park neighborhood. Reader "LadysLove Teece〽️ula" posted this about him:

It hurts everytime I look at this and see my Lil Brother had to be taken away like that. My Head All Messed Up If I Think About Him Now

A woman and a young girl were found murdered inside their Dunning home Sunday morning shortly after a man told Waukegan police he just “harmed his family.”

Police discovered the bodies 34-year-old Ania Kosinska and 7-year-old Victoria Kotlinski about 9 a.m. Sunday at their home in the 3400 block of North Odell Avenue, authorities said.

A Monday autopsy determined both died from multiple stab and incise wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which ruled the deaths homicides.

Earlier, police in north suburban Waukegan responded to an incident involving a “suicidal man,” Chicago Police said. After being taken into custody, the man told officers he harmed his family.

Chicago Police were then dispatched to the home Northwest Side home, where they found Kosinska and Kotlinski, authorities said.

Neighbor Maggie Witucki said her friend used to babysit the couple’s two girls. She said the couple would bicker often, and neighbors sometimes had to call police when things got loud, but the squabbling never turned violent.

Another neighbor, Patti Schoessow, said she saw the family out for a stroll Saturday night. Their sheepdog, who the neighbor said is named Lyla, ran across the street into the neighbor’s yard.

The wife chased the dog and promised the neighbor it wouldn’t bite. The husband followed. Then they walked back across the street and began to walk around the block with their two young girls in a motorized toy car.

The man has not yet been charged for the murders.

Area North detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Scene where Ania Kosinska and Victoria Kotlinski were stabbed to death / Photo by Al Podgorski

BY BRIAN SLODYSKO
Chicago Sun-Times

A 35-year-old man has been charged in the Sunday murders of his live in girlfriend and their 7-year-old daughter, authorities said.

Maciej Kotlinski, of the 3400 block of North Odell Avenue, faces two counts of first-degree in the Northwest Side slaying, Chicago Police announced Monday night.

It all began in north suburban Waukegan on Sunday morning, when a suicidal man confessed to police that he’d “harmed his family.”

Soon police cars raced through Chicago’s Dunning neighborhood until they reached the home Odell Avenue home. Inside, they found the bodies of 34-year-old Ania Kosinska and 7-year-old Victoria Kotlinski about 9 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.

A Monday autopsy determined both died from multiple stab and incise wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, which ruled the deaths homicides.

A police source said the family's dog and two cats were also fatally stabbed in the home.

Neighbor Maggie Witucki said her friend used to babysit the couple’s two girls. She said the couple would bicker often, and neighbors sometimes had to call police when things got loud, but the squabbling never turned violent.

Another neighbor, Patti Schoessow, said she saw the family out for a stroll Saturday night. Their sheepdog, who the neighbor said is named Lyla, ran across the street into the neighbor’s yard.

The wife chased the dog and promised the neighbor it wouldn’t bite. The husband followed. Then they walked back across the street and began to walk around the block with their two young girls in a motorized toy car.

-- Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire, Frank Main

BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times

A Northwest Side man accused of viciously stabbing his live-in girlfriend and 7-year-old daughter to death nearly decapitated his child and plunged a knife so deep into the girl’s chest, the blade came out of her back, Cook County prosecutors said.

Ania Kosinska and Victoria Kotlinski’s lifeless bodies were discovered in pools of blood in the kitchen of their home, in the 3400 block of North Odell Avenue Sunday morning.

Officers also found the family’s cat and dog stabbed to death and knives were scattered throughout the kitchen, authorities said.

As Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Mack detailed the gruesome injuries inflicted on the victims in court Tuesday, Maciej Kotlinski sobbed.

Kotlinski says he has suicidal thoughts and suffers from acute psychosis and schizophrenia, according to court records.

Judge James Brown ordered Kotlinski, 35, held without bond and asked that he be hospitalized while he’s in Cook County Jail.

Kosinska, 34, suffered seven stab sounds to her chest, an incise wound to her left jaw and defensive stab wounds to her left hand and forearm, Mack said.

Victoria suffered five stab wounds to her back during the attack, which authorities believe took place sometime between Saturday and Sunday.

The girl also had a large incise wound to her neck, defensive incise wounds to her left hand and forearm, and contusions to the head, eye and mouth from where Kotlinski kicked her in the head, Mack said.

Chicago Police officers rushed to the home on Odell Avenue after they were contacted by the Waukegan Police Department Sunday morning.

Kotlinski went to his parents’ home in the far north suburb and allegedly admitted to his stepfather that he had killed his older daughter and his girlfriend of nine years.

The family called Waukegan police and asked that the Chicago Police conduct a well-being check at the home on Odell Avenue.

Kotlinski, a construction worker, was arrested Sunday at a Waukegan hospital, according to his arrest report.

Kotlinski later told Waukegan and Chicago police what he had done, Mack said.

Kotlinski’s 3-year-old daughter was with him when he was in Waukegan, Mack said.

She was not harmed.

Kotlinski relatives who were in court Tuesday refused comment.

Demureya Macon, 13, was fatally shot after being asked his gang affiliation Sunday night in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. Reader "Ms. I Stay 1Hunna" posted this about the killing:

Another young man's life cut short too soon, another young man who was asked about his gang affiliation before his final moment. I don't understand what's going on in this city but I'm sick of it.What gives somebody the right to do such things? I have a son I fear for everytime he leaves out the door and I'm sure I'm not alone. I cannot imagine the pain his mother and his entire family are feeling right now but every inch of my heart goes out to them all. This is not right! This should not be happening to so many children or anyone for that matter.

Stanley L. Macon Jr. was fatally shot in the North Lawndale community late Monday.

Officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 900 block of South Lawndale Avenue just before 11 p.m. Monday and found Macon, 25, shot several times in the head, authorities said.

Macon, of the 2700 block of West Washington Boulevard, died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Shandel Adams was shot to death in the Humboldt Park neighborhood early Tuesday.

Officers responded to a call of a person shot in the 600 block of North Ridgeway Avenue and found 25-year-old Shandel Adams on a sidewalk shot in the chest, authorities said.

Adams, of the 5400 block of West Van Buren Street, died at Mount Sinai Hospital 4:17 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

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

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in the South Shore neighborhood Tuesday evening.

Camerion Blair was on a sidewalk in the 2600 block of East 73rd Street when he was shot in the back and buttocks about 6:10 p.m., authorities said.

Blair, of the 7300 block of South Shore Drive, died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

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

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

BY MICHAEL LANSU AND KALEY FOWLER
Homicide Watch Chicago

Chicago Police reported a 7 percent decrease in murders compared to the first nine months of last year -- and 25 percent decrease from 2012.

Forty-one September killings raised the 2014 murder total to 298, down from the 320 through September 2013 and 400 through September 2012, police said.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 326 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including 12 people killed by police.

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

While murders continue to decline by both measures, the number of shootings and people shot rose from last year's record low, said police spokesman Martin Maloney, who noted 2014 "has seen the second fewest shootings on record."

Police reported 1,552 shootings and 1,927 shooting victims through the first nine months of the year, which is 78 more shootings and 114 more gunshot victims than during the same period last year.

In September, police reported 180 shootings, compared to 170 in September 2013, 211 in September 2012 and 175 in September 2011.

In those shootings, 236 people were wounded -- nearly a 10 percent increase in shooting victims from September 2013. There were 237 gunshot victims in September 2012 and 204 in September 2011.

"In the past two years we have led a return to community policing in Chicago, breaking down of middle management in the department, putting more officers back on the beat, taking new proactive steps to intervene in gang conflicts, and building stronger relationships with faith leaders, community leaders and residents," Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said in a statement.

Police noted that between October 2012 and September 2014 the city had eight straight quarters of murder reduction and saw a 14 percent decrease in murders compared to the eight quarters of October 2011 to September 2013. Police also said there have been nearly 500 fewer shootings and more than 500 fewer gunshot victims during that time.

"We will continue to implement our strategy, making adjustments and adding new elements along the way, and no one will rest until everyone enjoys the same sense of safety," McCarthy said.

Khalie Early / Photo from Chicago Police

BY KENNY NGUYEN
Homicide Watch Chicago

Purported gang member Khalie Early went out Sunday night looking for revenge after a fellow gang member was wounded in a shooting earlier that day.

Early, an admitted member of the Black P-Stone street gang, went to East 86th Street and South Escanaba Avenue because he knew the area was controlled by the Vice Lords street gang, said Assistant State’s Attorney Jamie Santini.

Early, armed with a loaded semi-automatic handgun, was “looking to exact revenge for the shooting of a fellow gangbanger,” Santini said.

Early, 20, saw Miguel Hernandez standing on a porch in the 8500 block of South Escanaba Avenue and opened fire, Santini said.

Hernandez, 24, who lived on the block, was shot multiple times and died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An 18-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man standing by a nearby train station were also wounded, Santini said. Ambulances took both to area hospitals for treatment.

Miguel Hernandez / Photo from Facebook

Early initially fled after the shooting, but when he walked out of a nearby gangway witnesses already talking to responding police officers identified him as the gunman, Santini said.

Police searched the area and found the alleged handgun, Santini said.

After being arrest, Early, of the 8700 block of South Burley Avenue, admitted to detectives that he went to Vice Lord territory to exact revenge, authorities said.

On Wednesday, Judge James Brown ordered Early held without bond.