8 Killed, CPD Officer and Paramedic Among 59 Wounded in Weekend Chicago Shootings

At least eight people were killed, and a Chicago police officer and a paramedic were among 59 wounded in weekend shootings in Chicago.

The 30-year-old officer was on patrol late Friday when she heard the gunfire and rushed to the 1900 block of East 72nd Place, where she saw someone lying in the street, police said.

The officer was getting out of her squad car to provide aid when more shots were fired, striking her in the legs, police Supt. David Brown said. She got back in her squad car, and another officer took her to University of Chicago Medical Center, Brown said. She’s since been treated and released.

She was the 12th Chicago police officer to be wounded by gunfire this year, according to Brown. Thirty-four other officers had been shot at during the same period.

Aaron Jenkins, 26, was charged with shooting the officer. He’s expected to appear in court Monday on attempted murder charges.

The officer was responding to a call of shots fired that left an 18-year-old dead and 15-year-old wounded. About 11 p.m., a 25-year-old man and a woman were returning to their home in the block with a pizza when they were confronted on their back steps by the two teenagers, Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said.

The older man exchanged gunfire with the two younger individuals, Deenihan said. The 18-year-old was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at University of Chicago, police said. His name has not been released.

The 15-year-old, shot in the legs, was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Investigators recovered two handguns from the scene and also recovered a rifle while executing a search warrant, Deenihan said.

Two suspects were being questioned Saturday night, according to Deenihan, who said each has a criminal record.

Paramedic shot at hospital

A Chicago Fire Department paramedic was grazed at Stroger Hospital while working on a patient, and one person was killed and another wounded Saturday night in a shooting on the Near West Side.

The paramedic was working on a patient about 10:35 p.m. in the emergency room at Stroger when witnesses told police a suspect in an older green Buick opened fire, grazing the medical responder in the bill of their baseball cap, police said.

About 10 minutes earlier, two men, 28 and 31, were outside when they were shot by someone in a vehicle about 10:25 p.m. in the 2300 block of West Warren Boulevard, police said. The older man was shot in the chest and arm, and was taken to Stroger, where he died, police said. The younger man was shot in the right heel, and was also taken to Stroger, where he was in good condition.

One person was killed and three others, including a 17-year-old, were wounded Monday morning in Humboldt Park on the Northwest Side. The group were standing in the 800 block of North Ridgeway Avenue about 1:40 a.m. when someone in a dark-colored car opened fire, police said. A 34-year-old man was shot in the chest, and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died.

Two males, 17 and 24, were also taken to Stroger with a gunshot wounds, police said. They were listed in good condition.

18-year-old woman killed on South Side

Melica De La Garza, 18, was fatally shot Saturday in West Elsdon on the South Side, authorities said. She was sitting in a parked vehicle around 8:30 p.m. in the 5400 block of South Avers Avenue, when someone approached and fired shots, police said. She was struck in the torso, and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Man killed in shootout

A man was killed and a suspect wounded in a shooting after an argument Monday morning in Gresham on the South Side. The two men, 35 and 38, were arguing after a card game about 12:45 a.m. in a residence in the 700 block of West 77th Street when the older man shot at the younger man multiple times, police said. The 35-year-old was taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The 38-year-old was shot in the left arm, and was also taken to the University of Chicago, where he was in good condition and in custody.

Other homicides

• Earlier Saturday afternoon, a 31-year-old man was fatally shot in South Deering on the South Side. About 4:20 p.m., he was on the sidewalk in the 10200 block of South Yates Boulevard, when someone in a vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, police said. He was struck multiple times and taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He has not yet been identified.
• A 44-year-old man was fatally shot Friday in the Burnside on the South Side. About 7:45 p.m., he was near the street in the 700 block of East 92nd Place, when he was approached by two males who pulled out guns and fired shots, Chicago police said. He was struck in the abdomen and taken to the University of Chicago, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He has not yet been identified.
• A 36-year-old man was fatally shot in Park Manor Sunday night. He was walking on the sidewalk about 9:05 p.m. in the first block of East 71st Street when he was struck by gunfire in the back and body, police said. He was taken to the University of Chicago, where he died, police said.

Dozens others wounded

• In nonfatal attacks, six people were shot Sunday morning in East Garfield Park. Just after 2:50 a.m., three men and three women were standing outside in the 800 block of South Albany Avenue when a suspect in a black SUV opened fire, police said. The victims were in their 20s and 30s. A woman was listed in critical condition, while the five other men were in fair or good condition.
• A woman and a 14-year-old boy were wounded Saturday in a shooting in Washington Park on the South Side. About 7:45 p.m., the 39-year-old woman and the boy were exiting the expressway in the 100 block of East 59th Street, when a dark-colored Audi drove up to them and someone inside fired shots, striking them, police said. The woman continued to drive east, but later crashed into a silver Pontiac sedan. They listed in good condition.
• A 16-year-old was wounded in Back of the Yards on the South Side early Saturday. The teen was riding in the rear seat of a vehicle about 1:15 a.m. in the 4600 block of South Paulina Street when he was shot in the heel, police said. He was taken by the driver to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.
• A woman was also shot in Back of the Yards less than an hour earlier. About 12:30 a.m., a woman, 26, was a passenger in a vehicle traveling in the 600 block of West Garfield Boulevard when she was shot in her ankle, police said. She was in good condition.
• A 17-year-old was among two shot and wounded Sunday morning in Little Village on the West Side. The teen and man, 17 and 29, were leaving a house about 1:40 a.m. in the 2500 block of South Hamlin Avenue when someone inside a gold Suburban opened fire, police said. The teen was in good condition, while the man was in serious condition.

At least 40 others were wounded in citywide gun violence since from Friday 5 p.m. to Monday 5 a.m.

Last weekend, nine people were killed and 52 others — including a 3-year-old — were wounded in shootings in Chicago.