Kendall D. Warren was killed in a Near West Side shooting that left two other men critically injured early Sunday.

The men were at a party in a basement apartment in the 800 block of South Oakley Boulevard when someone opened fire at 3:10 a.m. Sunday, police said.

Warren, 24, was shot multiple times in the face and died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, authorities said. His home address was not immediately available.

Two other men, 26 and 33, were critically wounded in the shooting, police said.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area Central detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Matthew Cobbs / Photo from Chicago Police

Three men have been charged with murder in the shooting death of Nacurvie Smith early Sunday in the Old Town community.

Police found Smith, 27, shot multiple times inside a crashed vehicle in the 400 block of West Evergreen Avenue about 3:15 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.

Smith, of the 1200 block of North Cleveland Avenue, died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital less than an hour later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Eddie Robert Simmons, 21, Ahmed Martinez Walker, 18, and Matthew Cobbs, 20, were seen leaving the scene of the shooting and were "quickly placed into custody on the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), police said.

Simmons, of the 3400 block of West 5th Avenue, Walker, of the 700 block of West 50th Place, and Cobbs, of the 2700 block of North Francisco Avenue, were each charged with first-degree murder, police said.

All three are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for a bond hearing.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Eddie Simmons / Photo from Chicago Police

Ahmed Walker / Photo from Chicago Police

Larry Thomas was fatally shot in the Englewood neighborhood Monday night.

Thomas, 31, was shot in the neck and police found him on a sidewalk in the 7500 block of South Union Avenue about 11:30 p.m., authorities said.

Thomas, of an unidentified home address, died about an hour later at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area South detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

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BY KENNY NGUYEN
Homicide Watch Chicago

Joseph Kaman dreamed of finishing college, and the homeless man spent much of his time studying at the Jefferson Park Library, family said.

Last month, three other vagrants beat and strangled the 45-year-old Kaman to death in the 4800 block of North Lipps Avenue because one of the attackers thought Kaman stole a cell phone, prosecutors said.

"Joseph was a very vibrant individual," said his niece, Michelle Rhodes. "He was willing to do anything for anybody ... he wouldn’t hurt a fly."

Rhodes said Kaman suffered from learning disabilities that limited his reading and math skills, but that didn't stop him from spending countless hours reading college textbooks at the library.

"I remember him telling me how he was studying up so he could get back to college -- and you could see how excited it made him," said friend Steve Weitzner. "He mentioned something about studying literature at Wright College, but I’m not to sure what he wanted to pursue in school."

When Kaman wasn't studying at the library he enjoyed crafts, soft rock music and Hungarian food, said his sister, Theresa Rhodes.

“He was always making something,” Holly Rhodes said. “He made me a white beaded necklace. He made my sister a dream catcher necklace -- that necklace is currently hanging up in my sister’s car.”

Joseph Kaman / Family photo

Kaman also enjoyed cleaning, Theresa Rhodes said.

“Joseph was a cleaning fanatic,” she said. “We called him the cleaning b---- and he would just smile.”

Relatives described Kaman as a generous, hard-working person who previously worked a maintenance job for Touhy Mobile Home Park, family said.

“He was always helping other people,” Holly Rhodes said. “If someone needed help, he would give his last to that person. He would give his only sweater or his last cigarette. He had a heart and soul.”

Family said Kaman and his wife, Holly, lived with a relative for a while, but his wife and family eventually moved to Florida.

"Joseph was a good kid at heart," said his sister, Theresa Rhodes. "Yeah we had our arguments, but what brother and sister doesn’t?"

Kaman briefly stayed at a Salvation Army, but left a short time later, family said.

On Oct. 14, Jake Tate, 27, Daniel Morris, 20, and Todd Cooper, 27, strangled, beat and sodomized Kaman after Tate accused Kamen of stealing his mobile phone, Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen Rogers said.

The group then threw Kaman's body into a garbage bin, where he was found by a janitor for Northwestern Business College, authorities said.

The three men were charged with first-degree murder and Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil ordered them held in lieu of $2 million bond.

“I’m very happy that they're off the streets, they deserved what they got,” Holly Rhodes said. “ I could learn to forgiv,e but won’t forget ... It’s so emotional.

“We had a rough life. We were homeless in Jefferson Park and would hang out by the 7-Eleven. We would ride the trains all night long to keep warm. We never had a problem with anyone. Joseph was magnetic to people. He had a heart of gold and he will always be loved by everyone.”

Jataris Arnold was found fatally shot last Thursday inside a car parked along a Safe Passage Route in Englewood.

Police found Arnold, 20, shot multiple times inside the car in the 5700 block of South Princeton Avenue about 2 p.m., authorities said.

Police at the scene Thursday afternoon inspected a silver Grand Prix that was riddled with bullet holes and had some windows shot out.

Arnold, of the 5700 block of South Marshfield Avenue, was declared dead less than an hour later at Saint Bernard Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The block where he was found is a Safe Passage route for Jesse Sherwood Elementary School at 245 W. 57th St., according to the Chicago Public Schools website.
No children were present near the scene at the time of the shooting, authorities said.

Safe Passage workers were not at the scene at the time of the shooting, according to workers on the scene.

About two hours later, parents picked their children up from the elementary school.

One 26-year-old mother, who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution, said: “It’s sad that stuff like this happens during school hours.”

She rushed her 5-year-old son home “where he’s safe and sound.”

And a Safe Passage worker, who was also fearful, said he is not worried as long as police are around and daylight is illuminating the area.

“By the time we leave here it’s going to be dark,” the 22-year-old worker said. “I don’t know how it will go.”

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Dalon Marquis Mobley was fatally shot in the West Pullman neighborhood Sunday evening. Tamyia Mobley posted this about the killing:

If anyone has any information regarding this shooting we the family need you to come forward. So far all we know is he wasn't the intended target, just walking home when he was shot just doors away.

Robert Leverett was shot and killed Monday night in the Englewood neighborhood.

Leverett, 30, was shot in the head in the 7200 block of South Carpenter Street about 7 p.m., authorities said.

Leverett, of the 1200 block of West 72nd Street, 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

Derick Coopwood / Photo from Chicago Police

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

A purported West Side gang member awaiting trial on drug charges stemming from a high-profile 2012 bust was found shot to death early Tuesday in the Humboldt Park community.

Police found 21-year-old Derick D. Coopwood shot multiple times in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue about 7:05 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said.

Coopwood, of the 700 block of North Christiana Avenue, died at Mount Sinai Hospital about two hours later, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Coopwood was one of nine people arrested in 2012 after police busted an open-air drug market on a West Side street, authorities said.

A spike in shootings and violence near Ohio and Hamlin streets led Narcotics Divisions Officers to begin their investigation of the corner two months ago, police said.

Tied to the Conservative Vice Lord gang, police seized $6,700 in illegal funds and heroin with an estimate street value of $3,000, police said.

Coopwood was initially held on $50,000 bond, but was later released on an I-bond, authorities said. He pleaded guilty to the drug charges in 2012 and was sentenced to community service, according to court records, which indicated he later violated terms of his probation and was sent back to prison.

He was released from the Hill Correctional Center on Sept. 5, 2014, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area North detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Larry Thomas, 31, was fatally shot Monday night in the Englewood neighborhood. Reader Lacey Oso Boyd posted this about the killing:

This was one of my childhood friends of 20 years. This s#@$ breaks me down to see ppl don't over some senseless b.s. LARRY you will be missed and always loved by those close to you Bruh... my heart goes out to all of the family.

Tyris T. Ferguson was killed in a Humboldt Park shooting that left three other people wounded Wednesday afternoon.

The men were inside a vehicle in the 700 block of North St. Louis Avenue when somebody inside a passing van opened fire about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

Ferguson, 23, of the 800 block of North St. Louis Avenue, was shot multiple times and died less than an hour later at Mount Sinai Hospital, authorities said.

Two other men inside the vehicle were also shot multiple times, but survived, police said. A third man, possibly a pedestrian, was found shot inside a nearby home, authorities said.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area North detectives are investigating.

A 25-year-old woman was killed in a West Englewood shooting that left two other people injured Wednesday night.

Krystal T. Jackson was inside a vehicle with a 21-year-old woman and 27-year-old man when a gunman walked up and opened fire in the 6800 block of South Loomis Boulevard about 6:25 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

After the shooting, the motorist drove to Holy Cross Hospital, police said.

Jackson, 25, of the 7700 block of South Saginaw Avenue, was shot multiple times and died at the hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The man was shot in the head and shoulder and transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, police said. The other woman was shot in the leg and treated at Holy Cross Hospital.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area South detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Jataris Arnold was fatally shot Nov. 13 in the Englewood neighborhood. Reader "jaz j" posted this about him:

R.I.p jataris haven't seen u since u was around 5 smh wow I'm praying for the family and hope they get some closure another one gone too soon:(

Burnadine Kinsey

BY LEEANN SHELTON
Sun-Times Media

A man was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison Tuesday after he admitted to helping his friend hide the body of 49-year-old Burnadine Kinsey in a West Side apartment in 2013.

Juan Ramos, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of concealing a homicidal death and Judge Thomas Gainer Jr. sentenced him to 42 months in prison, according to court records.

Authorities said Benjamin Esquivel had sex with Kinsey then stabbed her to death after a fight, wrapped her in a sheet and hid her in his closet in the 4400 block of West Wilcox Street in August 2013.

Esquivel then called Ramos and asked for advice on how to dispose of the body, prosecutors said. Surveillance cameras at an area Home Depot caught the two buying tarps, duct tape, rubber gloves and a Sprite.

Ramos helped Esquivel, 22, wrap Kinsey’s body in the tarp and duct taped her head, torso and feet before putting her back into a closet in Esquivel’s home, prosecutors claim.

Esquivel and Ramos were out looking for dump sites when a relative found the body in the apartment three days later and called police, authorities said.

Prosecutors claimed Kinsey -- a grandmother and mother -- was a prostitute, but her family insisted she spent her days taking care of her diabetic amputee younger brother.

Ramos, of the 2000 block of North Lamon Avenue, was given credit for 526 days spent in jail since his arrest, according to court records.

Esquivel is awaiting trial on charges of murder, armed robbery and concealing a homicidal death, court records show. He will next appear in court Dec. 1.

BY EMILY BROSIOUS
Homicide Watch Chicago

Little Black Pearl Art & Design Academy student Michael Faheem Bloodson recently developed a passion for glassblowing.

Bloodson, 17, was shot in head in the 3900 block of South Prairie Avenue in the Bronzeville neighborhood about 3 p.m. Sept. 13, authorities said. He died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County less than an hour later.

“It hurts so much because he had his whole future ahead of him,” said his grandmother, Debra Bloodson. “So many things we could have done. I looked forward to my grandson being something very special, because whatever he did, he would do it very well.”

At Bloodson's funeral, one of his teachers brought his grandmother the glasswork he made for her in class.

“I have them -- so special. I will never, ever part from them,” Debra Bloodson said.

In addition to glassblowing, Debra Bloodson said her grandson was good with technology and wanted to pursue a career in computers, possibly a computer programmer.

“He would take the laptop at home, he would get my phone, his phone, his grandfather’s phone, and be doing like three or four things at once,” she said.

Michael Bloodson / Photo from Twitter

Outside the classroom, Michael Bloodson was a naturally talented athlete who played baseball, basketball and football, said his grandfather, William Burks.

Burks said his grandson was transferred to an elementary school in a rough area because of neighborhood school closures and he “learned to be tough, sometimes unnecessarily so.”

Burks said Michael Bloodson started showing signs of trouble in high school, and he believes the school system failed to provide a support system.

“They were supposed to have done a personal development plan for him, where the parents meet with counselors and so forth, that was never done for him,” Burks said. “And as a result, I think it had some psychological harm.”

Despite acting out occasionally like a normal teenager, relatives described Michael Bloodson as a young man with many talents and who could light up a room.

“Michael had a big personality and he was very outspoken,” said his mother, Latoya Powell. “He had a lot of friends.”

In addition to his friends, Michael Bloodson was close with his 11 brothers, six sisters and his extended family, relatives said.

“Michael just loved his sisters and brothers, and he loved life,” Powell said. “He worshiped the ground his grandmother, and dad, and I ... the ground we walked on.”

On the afternoon Michael Bloodson was killed, Powell said a group of young men shot at her son earlier in the day. He ran to his girlfriend’s nearby home and called her in distress. She told him to stay where he was until his grandmother could get there to pick him up, Powell said.

“All Michael did was leave the house and [go] four houses down to his uncle’s house," Powell said. "The boys followed my son and they murdered him. They shot my son five times for nothing."

Prior to the shooting, a group of young men from the neighborhood had been pressuring Michael Bloodson to join up with them. He had trouble getting to and from school without confrontation, and eventually told his grandmother that he had to give in to the pressure and pretend for his own safety, Debra Bloodson said.

“And right after he’s dead. They’re on Twitter saying that they killed him, saying that ‘he wasn’t real, he wouldn’t join, he wouldn’t accept it.’” Bloodson said. “That hurts. I think something can really be done about this. It shouldn’t have to be this way.”

Powell said she has been somewhat comforted by the large outpour of support from friends, classmates, teachers and neighbors following his death.

“He had an impact on the world," Powell said. "It’s like once they took Michael, they took everybody."

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

Paris Walker-Rush / Photo from Chicago Police

BY JORDAN OWEN
Sun-Times Media

Paris D. Walker-Rush has been charged with accidentally shooting David Kennedy to death in a Hyde Park apartment Friday night, authorities said.

Emergency personnel found Kennedy shot in the head in the 5200 block of South Cornell Avenue about 9 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

Kennedy, 24, of the 3700 block of South Wood Street, died at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy confirmed Kennedy died from a gunshot wound to the head, and the death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner's office.

Walker-Rush, 25, was arrested without incident immediately after the shooting and charged with involuntary manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, police said.

A police source said the men were playing with the gun and the death appears accidental.

Walker-Rush, of the 5200 block of South Cornell Avenue, is expected to appear in court Saturday for a bond hearing.

Jeffrey Daniels was fatally shot in the Austin neighborhood Friday night.

Police found Daniels, shot in the head inside a vehicle in the 200 block of North Mason Avenue about 11:30 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

Daniels, 24, of 1400 block of West Taylor Street, 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 North detectives are investigating.

-- Sun-Times Media Wire

Ladarius Edwards was killed in an Ashburn neighborhood shooting that left another man wounded early Saturday.

Edwards, 23, was standing with the other man on a sidewalk in the 8000 block of South Fairfield Avenue when a gunman exited a nearby gangway and opened fire about 2:50 a.m., authorities said.

Edwards, of the 2500 block of West 79th Street, was shot in the head and leg and died less than an hour later at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The other man, also 23, was shot in the abdomen and and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for treatment, police said.

Nobody has been charged for the murder.

Area South detectives are investigating.

BY MICHAEL LANSU
Homicide Watch Chicago Editor

Eight people were fatally shot throughout Chicago last week.

Three of the murders happened over the weekend, when 11 other people were wounded by gunfire.

The most recent killing happened when 23-year-old Ladarius Edwards was shot on a sidewalk in the 8000 block of South Fairfield Avenue about 2:50 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Edwards, of the 2500 block of West 79th Street, was shot in the head and died less than an hour later at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Another man was wounded but survived, police said.

On Friday, pPolice found 24-year-old Jeffrey Daniels shot in the head inside a vehicle in the 200 block of North Mason Avenue in the Austin neighborhood about 11:30 p.m., authorities said.

Daniels, 24, of 1400 block of West Taylor Street, died at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County less than an hour later, according to the medical examiner’s office.

In the Hyde Park neighborhood, 25-year-old Paris D. Walker-Rush accidentally shot David Kennedy in the head an apartment the 5200 block of South Cornell Avenue about 9 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

Kennedy, 24, of the 3700 block of South Wood Street, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office, which ruled the death a homicide.

Walker-Rush, of the 5200 block of South Cornell Avenue, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, police said.

On Wednesday, 25-year-old Krystal T. Jackson was shot while inside a vehicle in the 6800 block of South Loomis Boulevard in West Englewood about 6:25 p.m., authorities said.

Jackson, 25, of the 7700 block of South Saginaw Avenue, was shot multiple times and died at the hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Two other people were wounded but survived.

In the Humboldt Park neighborhood, 23-year-old Tyris T. Ferguson was shot while inside a vehicle in the 700 block of North St. Louis Avenue about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

Ferguson, 23, of the 800 block of North St. Louis Avenue, was shot multiple times and died less than an hour later at Mount Sinai Hospital, authorities said. Three other people were wounded but survived.

On Tuesday, police found 21-year-old Derick D. Coopwood shot multiple times in the 700 block of North Spaulding Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood about 7:05 a.m., authorities said.

Coopwood, of the 700 block of North Christiana Avenue, died at Mount Sinai Hospital about two hours later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

On Monday, 31-year-old Larry Thomas was shot in the neck and police found him on a sidewalk in the 7500 block of South Union Avenue in Englewood about 11:30 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

Thomas, of an unidentified home address, died about an hour later at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, according to the medical examiner’s office.

The killings started when 30-year-old Robert Leverett was shot in the head in the 7200 block of South Carpenter Street in Englewood about 7 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

Leverett, of the 1200 block of West 72nd Street, died at the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Overall, the medical examiner’s office has ruled at least 400 Chicago deaths in 2014 a homicide — including 14 people killed by police.

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

David Kennedy, 24, was killed Friday night when Paris Walker-Rush accidentally shot him inside a Hyde Park apartment, prosecutors said. Reader "Omar" posted this about the killing:

Feel bad for the victim. My condolences to the families. I know he wish he can turn back time, and avoided this incident, and never had a gun in his hand. Hope they didn't have any bad intentions on using that gun.

Reginald Duckworth / Photo from Chicago Police

BY LEEANN SHELTON
Sun-Times Media

A Maywood man was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison Friday after he pleaded guilty to stabbing his cousin to death after a South Shore birthday party.

Reginald Duckworth, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and Judge Clayton Crane sentenced him to 19 years in prison, according to court records.

Duckworth was part of a group of people that attended a birthday party at his cousin Willie Wilson’s home in the 2500 block of East 73rd Place on Jan. 26, 2013, prosecutors said.

After the party, Duckworth asked a woman for money multiple times. Wilson, 32, told Duckworth to stop and the two got into an argument in the basement, prosecutors said.

The argument turned physical and Duckworth punched Wilson, prosecutors said. Witnesses tried to break up the fight, but Duckworth resisted and pushed an arthritic 60-year-old man to the ground before throwing Wilson over a table and stabbing him multiple times, prosecutors said.

Wilson told another person in the basement that Duckworth stabbed him. Witnesses saw Duckworth run away with a knife in his hand, and Wilson died at the scene, authorities said.

Duckworth, of the 1700 block of West Madison in Maywood, was also recommended for drug treatment as part of his sentence, according to court records. He will receive credit for 664 days spent in the Cook County Jail.