By JEFF MAYES
Chicago Sun-Times Wire
At least 9 people died from violence last week, including a 1-month-old baby whose death in Englewood was ruled a homicide by child abuse, as Chicago's 2016 murder total neared 750.
As of Wednesday morning, there have been at least 741 homicides in Chicago this year, according to Chicago Sun-Times Wire statistics. If you add in 11 people who died in 2016 after being shot or assaulted in prior years, the number is 752 with three weeks left in the year.
One of those was the death of a 1-month-old boy Wednesday afternoon in Englewood. About 2 p.m. Dec. 7, officers responded to assist paramedics treating an unresponsive infant inside his home in the 6600 block of South Racine, according to Chicago Police. Timothy Harmon was taken to St. Bernard Hospital, where he died minutes later, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
An autopsy Thursday found Timothy died of multiple injuries caused by child abuse, according to the medical examiner's office. Area South detectives are investigating, along with the Department of Children and Family Services. Police said the baby's mother was not home at the time, and the 911 call was made by a babysitter.
- Last week's final homicide was south suburban man fatally shot Sunday afternoon in the Riverdale neighborhood on the Far South Side. Anthony "Mook G" Barr, 45, was sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked blue SUV at 12:04 p.m. in the 300 block of East 136th Street when he was approached by two male suspects, who opened fire before running away, police and the medical examiner’s office said. Barr, who lived in Harvey, was shot in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
- A man shot Wednesday evening in the West Side Lawndale neighborhood died two days later. At 6:35 p.m., Otis Hatchett, 64, was driving a vehicle in the 1300 block of South Komensky when he was struck in the head by gunfire that came from outside the vehicle, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Hatchett was taken to Stroger Hospital and pronounced dead at 11:05 p.m. Friday, authorities said.
- A man was fatally shot Friday night in the South Side Chatham neighborhood. Derrick Swanigan, 34, was shot in the chest by someone he knew during a fight inside his home in the 8000 block of South Evans just after 10 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Swanigan was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead about an hour later. Area South detectives questioned a person of interest after the shooting, but that person was later released without being charged.
- A 19-year-old man was killed Friday afternoon in a shooting in the West Side Austin neighborhood. At 3:17 p.m., Shaqwon I. Stidhun was standing in the 5500 block of West Crystal when two men approached and one or both of them fired shots, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. The men then drove away. Stidhun, who lived about a block away, was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
- A man was killed and three people, including a young child, were injured in a crash caused by a shooting Thursday afternoon in Englewood. Nathaniel Lewis-Edwards, 31, was letting a passenger out of his vehicle about 4 p.m. in the 7100 block of South Morgan when someone approached and began shooting, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. After being shot, he tried to drive away, but was involved in a crash with three other vehicles.
Lewis-Edwards was found inside his vehicle with a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. He lived in south suburban Lansing. A 21-year-old woman who was inside his vehicle was taken to Saint Bernard Hospital with minor injuries. A 63-year-old woman and 5-year-old boy, who were inside another vehicle involved in the crash, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. The woman was taken to Christ Medical Center and the boy to Comer Children’s Hospital.
- A man was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the Southwest Side. About 4:30 p.m., someone walked up to 52-year-old Sylvester Rainge in the 1300 block of South Komensky and opened fire, hitting him repeatedly, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Rainge was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
- A 17-year-old boy was killed and a woman wounded in a shooting Tuesday afternoon in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side. They were outside about noon in the 1000 block of North Harding when a gunman walked up and opened fire, hitting the woman in the leg and the boy in the chest, according to police. Elijah Jones was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died 30 minutes later, according to the medical examiner's office. The 21-year-old woman was taken in good condition to Norwegian American Hospital.
- A 37-year-old man was fatally shot Monday afternoon in the West Side Austin neighborhood. Lafayette Montgomery was in a vehicle in the 1700 block of North Long about 2 p.m. when someone in a beige vehicle fired multiple shots, according to police and the medical examiner's office. He got out of his vehicle, and was struck in the head and left arm. Montgomery was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died about 3 hours later.