Tag Archives: Chicago crime

Disney Magnet School student, 7, injured after gun goes off in backpack in classroom; mother Tatanina Kelly charged

CHICAGO (WLS) — A judge scolded a mother Wednesday after her son allegedly found her gun and brought it to school, where it went off and injured one of his classmates.

Chicago police were called to Disney Magnet School Tuesday when a loaded gun accidentally fired inside an 8-year-old boy’s backpack, injuring another student.

The 8-year-old brought the loaded gun to school after prosecutors say he found it under his mother’s bed.

Tatanina Kelly is now held responsible and charged with three counts of misdemeanor child endangerment.

“I’m not surprised,” said Harold Krent, a professor at Kent College of Law. “You can’t leave prescription medicine near little children, you can’t leave sharp objects and you certainly shouldn’t leave a loaded gun. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

Krent said child endangerment laws exist to protect those who are young and defenseless. Kelly appeared in bond court Wednesday where a judge accused the 28-year-old mother of being “supremely negligent.”

“This isn’t just a matter of parental responsibility, it’s of human responsibility,” Krent said.

Kelly’s defense attorney acknowledged the gun should have been locked up, but he argued the incident was not something his client planned or did to purposefully violate the law.

But Judge Michael Hogan reminded Kelly that the incident could have resulted in something much worse.

“We are inches away, possibly centimeters away from a very different case and a very different tragedy,” Hogan said.

Despite no prior criminal record and legal ownership of the gun, Kelly was held on a $10,000 bond.

“The judge hopes people take this seriously and when they see it in the news they take steps to make sure guns are protected,” Krent said.

The 7-year-old injured Disney student was taken to the hospital in good condition. The bullet grazed the boy’s abdomen.

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Mayor Lori Lightfoot addresses violence, Millennium Park curfew; teen charged in shooting of Seandell Holliday near ‘Bean’

CHICAGO (WLS) — Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined Chicago officials and community leaders Monday morning to outline changes to the city’s curfew as well as adding a new curfew at Millennium Park for unaccompanied minors.

The changes come as a response to the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy near “The Bean” Saturday night when large crowds of hundreds of unruly teens took over Millennium Park and began flooding the streets.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified him as Seandell Holliday. A 17-year-old Marin Richardson has been charged as an adult with second-degree murder, boy has now been charged with second-degree murder.

Mayor Lightfoot announces citywide curfew changes

Mayor Lightfoot has previously announced time, place and manner restrictions at Millennium Park after 6 p.m. from Thursday through Sunday.

At a press conference Monday, Mayor Lightfoot said she is making changes to the city’s curfew for people 17 and under, which has been in effect since 1992. The curfew has been 11 p.m. for people 17 and under, and Lightfoot said it would now be 10 p.m.

She’s calling on parents and guardians to step up in this moment.

“I think the vast majority of young people that were out there on Saturday night were out there to try and have fun and enjoy a summer evening,” Lightfoot said. “Unfortunately, we saw tragedy happen because young people carry guns downtown and that is simply not going to be acceptable and we are going to make sure we hold those people, whether they are adults or young people, who pick up a gun and try to solve petty disputes by pulling the trigger. We have got to hold those folks accountable.”

Lightfoot said she was “distressed” to learn of preteens as young as 10 and 11 years old have been coming downtown unacompanied at night.

“That is simply not smart and it’s definitely not safe no matter the destination,” Lightfoot said. “It’s not just because it’s downtown. Our children need to be accompanied by adults. Period.”

The mayor said she understands teens need safe places and pointed to activities available on mychimyfuture.org.

Superintendent David Brown Sunday said the police department’s priority right now is making Millennium Park safe, but admitted that there is a possibility of displacement to other downtown locations. These large groups of young people appear to be drawn downtown on weekends, not by chance, but as a result of coordinated efforts to get them there born on social media, he said.

“This is different,” Brown said. “Our intelligence tells us there are groups convening. These young people… we need to deal with the back end of how this gets started.”

A few hours after the Millenium Park shooting, just nearby, two other young people were shot near State Street and Jackson Boulevard.

Chicago announces new Millennium Park curfew after deadly shooting

Mayor Lightfoot also said Monday she directed the Chicago Police Department to accelerate gun traces for firearms found in the hands of minors.

The city said this new policy will be strictly enforced and violations will be dealt with swiftly.

“We, as a City, can not allow any of our public spaces to become platforms for danger. Anyone coming into our public spaces should expect to enjoy them peacefully and must respect and exhibit basic community norms of decency. We simply will not accept anything less,” Lightfoot said, in part. “I am calling on all parents, guardians, and caring adults to step up at this moment and do whatever it takes to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again and to encourage appropriate behavior when our young people gather anywhere in this great City of ours.”

The city said this new policy will be strictly enforced and violations will be dealt with swiftly.

WATCH: ABC7 political analyst weighs in on Lightfoot crime response

Twenty six minors and four adults were also arrested in connection with Saturday’s incident. Seven guns were recovered.

‘He wanted to live’

Vondale Singleton started the anti-violence group Champs Male Mentoring, which the young victim belonged to.

He said Holliday was a freshman at Gary Comer High School. He was intelligent, with a bright future ahead of him.

One of his goals, he said, was to reach the age of 21.

“He wanted to live and I think that that speaks volumes in terms of the public narrative for especially boys and young men of color,” Singleton said. “Oftentimes there’s a stigma in Chicago about Black boys on the South Side or West Side. They don’t want to live and yet I work with young man every day, hundreds of them every day, that want to live to have goals and aspirations and dreams. To want to take one of his goals was to ‘take care of my family.’ You know, ‘I want to open up my own studio.’ He wrote that down as a goal. And so you know, these are dreams and goals that went unfulfilled because of a life that was cut short, through gun violence.”

The American Civil Liberties Union released a statement saying the curfew could lead to unnecessary stops and arrests.

“The Mayor’s announcement suggests that our City’s showcase park should not be available for all residents of Chicago. Curfews and bans create group culpability for all young people – whether they are there to enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown or something else. The vague description – relying on an undefined ‘responsible adult’ – allowing young people to be present in the park and the promise of strict enforcement will result in unnecessary stops and arrests and further strain relations between CPD and young people of color. We will continue to monitor this situation closely,” the ACLU said in a statement.

The Chicago Teacher’s Union also issued a statement, saying:

“Why does a Black mayor of a city with a large population of Black residents insist on deepening Black pain and trauma? Our youth have experienced three years of a pandemic, which followed a lifetime of neglect of their communities. The mayor needs to be doing more to address violence in schools, mental health needs and entrenched disinvestment, instead of knee jerk curfews and bans on the use of public spaces. In doing the latter, and insisting on placing blame instead of finding solutions, she is continuing the cycle of slamming doors in the faces of young people who have had doors closed on them for their entire lives.

“Our hearts are heavy today for many reasons – for 10 lives lost in Buffalo, and for Seandell Holliday and all of the lives lost in our city this weekend. We hold Seandell’s family, the Comer College Prep community and all victims and families close, and stay committed to addressing the causes of violence and misplaced anger, and what our youth need to truly feel supported, respected and loved in our city.”

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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signs retail theft crackdown bill into law to crack down on smash-and-grab burglaries

CHICAGO (WLS) — After multiple smash-and-grabs at malls in the suburbs and at many high-end shops along Michigan Avenue, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday imposing harsher punishments on those who commit retail crimes.

“This is about the safety of our communities,” Pritzker said. “It’s about preventing militarized storefronts and empty commercial.”

The governor put pen to paper to sign the Inform Act into law, which enforces the new crime of organized retail theft.

It’s the latest step in Illinois’ effort to fight a crime that has been plaguing big and small businesses around the state.

SEE ALSO: Bike shop burglaries: Naperville store boards up windows in response to recent crimes

Surveillance videos captured several incidents showing mobs of people rushing into stores to steal goods from luxury goods to convenience stores, even while employees or customers are inside. Macy’s, Nordstrom, Burberry, and LensCrafters along the Mag Mile have all been hit.

Last December alone, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s organized crime task force retrieved one million dollars’ worth of stolen items from storage units.

Also in December, a group of 14 people ransacked the Louis Vuitton in Oak Brook, making off with $120,000 in merchandise.

WATCH | 14 involved in Oak Brook Louis Vuitton grab-and-run

The new law cracks down on the ring leaders organizing these crimes who are profiting and using it to fund other illegal activities.

“This is not aimed at a low-income parent desperate to feed their child,” Governor Pritzker said. “It’s not about a kid making a short-sighted mistake. This is about a multi-billion dollar industry of organized criminals carrying out sophisticated theft operations to turn a profit on the resale market.”

As part of the new law, those who knowingly engage with others in a theft valued at $300 or more would be guilty of a Class Three felony. Those who engage in a retail theft from one or more establishments would be guilty of a Class Two felony, which would carry more jail time.

Burberry Michigan Ave. store burglarized for 2nd time in a week, Chicago police say

The law allows prosecutors to bring perpetrators to justice even if the conspiracy, theft and/or selling crosses county boundaries. They are now able to prosecute the whole crime.

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association partnered with several lawmakers to make the law a reality.

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Chicago police chase ends with 1 in custody after Chicago Fire Department ambulance stolen in Chinatown

CHICAGO (WLS) — A man is in custody following a more than 70-mile police chase after stealing city ambulance in Chinatown Monday afternoon.

Police said at about 4:40 p.m. a Chicago Fire Department ambulance was parked in the 200-block of West Cermak. Police said it was stolen by an unknown offender while it was parked on the street in front of the firehouse. Officials said no one was in the ambulance when it was stolen.

The thief fled southbound in ambulance #66 onto the Stevenson Expressway, with police and Illinois State Police in pursuit, and eventually onto I-55 heading south into the southwest suburbs.

Shortly before 6:20 p.m. the ambulance slowed nearly to a stop and the driver appeared to be gesturing to and speaking with police out the window, before suddenly taking off again.

WATCH: Driver of stolen ambulance waves at police

Strips took out the ambulance’s back driver’s side tire but the chase continued on, with the bare rim smoking at times. By 6:30 p.m. the ambulance had made it about 70 miles southwest of the city, near Dwight, where the driver slowed to a stop and got out.

It briefly looked like the driver was going to surrender; he stepped over a fence divider between the highway and the grass median with a backpack and got onto his knees. There appeared to be an exchange of words with police and the suspect suddenly grabbed his backpack and took off on foot, running into the northbound lanes of I-55.

WATCH: Driver arrested for stealing ambulance after police chase

There he stopped a red truck hauling a trailer and attempted to get in the passenger door, but was unable to. He was then tackled by several officers and a K-9 unit and taken into custody on the side of the highway near the Streator-Kankakee exit.

The suspect was eventually taken away in an ambulance to Morris Hospital in Grundy County for evaluation.

Traffic is stopped in both directions on I-55. It is not known how long the lanes will remain closed.

Police have not offered any further details about the circumstances of the theft. It was not known if there were any injuries to CFD personnel or to civilians.

This is a breaking news story. Check back with ABC7 Chicago for updates.

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CTA employee shooting: No bond for Sylvester Adams, worker charged in shooting at 95th Street Red Line station

CHICAGO (WLS) — The CTA worker charged with attempted murder after shooting a man at a Red Line station is being held without bond, despite no criminal history, a judge ruled Sunday.

Sylvester Adams, 53, allegedly shot a 37-year-old man after a fight at the 95th Street CTA Red Line station on the city’s South Side escalated early Saturday morning.

Chicago police said the two men were arguing around 2:13 a.m., but when the victim started walking away and that’s when Adams shot him, striking the man three times. He sustained a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen, back and lower left leg. The man shot was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

The Chicago Transit Authority confirmed in a statement Saturday that Adams was a CTA employee working as a customer assistant. CTA said they were pursuing termination of Adams, who had broken various workplace rules, including possession of a firearm.

“The CTA continues to work closely with the Chicago Police Department as they investigate last night’s incident and the circumstances surrounding it,” CTA said. “The behavior of this one employee is not at all reflective of the thousands of hardworking, dedicated men and women who take pride in their work and responsibly perform their duties each day.”

SEE ALSO | Chicago crime: Man shot, killed during attempted carjacking in Belmont Central, police say

Police arrested Adams, who lives in Lynwood, and recovered a weapon at the scene.

Red Line service was temporarily suspended between 95th and 87th about an hour later due to police activity Saturday, according to CTA. Trains were running with residual delays as of 4:50 a.m., according to CTA.

Area Two detectives are investigating.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

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Chicago shooting: 2 young girls shot, 1 killed, in Belmont Central on Northwest Side, Chicago police say

CHICAGO (WLS) — A 7-year-old girl is dead and her 6-year-old sister is “fighting for her life” after they were shot Sunday in Belmont Central on the city’s Northwest Side, according to Chicago police.

The two girls were in a vehicle parked on the street just before 3 p.m. in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue when they were both shot, police said.

The 6-year-old sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and right armpit, and was transported to Loyola University Medical Center in stable condition.

The 7-year-old was also shot in the chest, but later died at the hospital, officials said.

“To say I’m saddened and outraged is an understatement,” said Chicago Police Chief Brian McDermott. “I only hope every resident in this city is as angry, saddened and outraged as I am at this time.

Police said the girls are sisters and don’t believe they were the intended targets.

WATCH: CPD gives update on Belmont Central shooting of 2 young sisters

Area Five Detectives are investigating and working to collect any surveillance video in the area.

A $2,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction, Community activist Andew Holmes said Sunday.

“It’s not about the money it’s just about catching these individuals before they strike and hit another child. Stop killing our children,” Holmes said.

More than 250 children have been shot and 32 killed so far this year in Chicago, according to police data.

“Too many young people have lost their lives to senseless gun violence in Chicago,” McDermott said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police or share tips anonymously to CPDtip.com.

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