A woman was hurt in fire June 17, 2021 in Wentworth Gardens.
The woman was listed in serious to critical condition, Chicago fire officials said.
A woman was hospitalized in serious to critical condition after inhaling smoke during a fire Thursday night in Wentworth Gardens on the South Side.
The blaze broke out after 9 p.m. in the 200 block of West 38th Place, Chicago fire officials said.
Still & Box on 200 Block of W. 38th Place has been struck out. One adult female transported to U of C (red due to smoke inhalation). No further info at this time. 4-1-10
Members of the Chicago Police Board voted Thursday to fire a troubled officer who shot his close friend while off-duty and then lied about what happened.
In the 8-0 vote, the Police Board ruled that Officer Patrick Kelly “pulled the trigger” in a shooting over a decade ago that left his friend Michael LaPorta permanently disabled.
Kelly was off-duty when he and LaPorta hit a pair of bars and returned to his home in the early morning hours of Jan. 12, 2010, the board said in a written ruling. LaPorta testified that an argument then arose over Kelly “yelling at and hitting his dog.” The board ruled that Kelly ultimately fired his service weapon, striking LaPorta in the head.
Kelly later called 911 and falsely claimed that LaPorta had committed suicide before realizing he was still breathing, according to the board, which also concluded that Kelly lied about the shooting during a subsequent interview.
A federal jury in 2017 found that Kelly shot LaPorta under similar circumstances and hit City Hall with a hefty $44.7 million verdict. However, the federal appellate court later overturned that massive judgment in February, noting that Kelly “was not acting as a Chicago police officer but as a private citizen” when LaPorta was shot.
On Thursday, LaPorta’s attorney, Antonio Romanucci, called the Police Board’s ruling “a small measure of justice” for his client “and a solid decision for the residents of Chicago.” Still, Romanucci slammed the city for not acting sooner to address Kelly’s “years and years of egregious and violent behavior.”
Michael LaPorta, with his mom, Patti, listens as his attorney speaks to reporters Friday about his civil rights case against Chicago Police Officer Patrick Kelly.Rich Hein/Sun-Times file photo
Kelly, who had been suspended without pay as recently as February, has faced 25 allegations related to his police work and 62 use of force reports, according to the Invisible Institute. In 2017, the city settled for $500,000 in another lawsuit brought by a woman who said she suffered a miscarriage after Kelly used a Taser on her three times in 2013.
“Had the CPD implemented an early warning system, Kelly easily would have been identified as a problem officer and not have been allowed to shoot Michael LaPorta,” said Romanucci. “The real focus should remain on the tragic and life-changing impact Kelly’s violence had on his former best friend, Michael LaPorta, who will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair because Kelly shot him in the head.”
Kelly’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
HOUSTON — A total of 4,703 major league wins combined have been pocketed by 76-year-old Tony La Russa, running the White Sox in the visitors dugout Thursday night, and 72-year-old Dusty Baker, sitting across the field in the Astros’ dugout when two of the best teams in the American League run by baseball’s oldest managers opened a four-game series at Minute Maid Park.
In head to head tilts between them, Baker easily closed the gap to 102-100 with a 10-2 rout of the Sox.
Sparks did not fly, but they have in the past between La Russa — who surpassed John McGraw this season to become the second-winningest manager of all time with 2,771 victories, and Baker (1,932) who ranks 12th — most notably in 2013 when La Russa was with the Cardinals and Baker with the Cubs. Both managers acknowledged the testy history.
“Dusty and I had a long relationship,” La Russa said. “The only time there were sparks was when we were in the same division when he was in Cincinnati and Chicago. Glad he’s in the [AL] western division. Like anybody else who you respect, I’ll be glad when the series is over.”
“It’s professional,” Baker said of their relationship today. “I got a lot of respect for Tony and what he’s done and accomplished in the game. We’ve had a couple run-ins.”
La Russa’s Cardinals brawled with Baker’s Giants in 2002, and La Russa and Baker, managing the Cubs in 2003, shouted profanities at each other during a five-game series in September featuring a beanball tiff between pitchers Matt Clement of the Cubs and Dan Haren of the Cardinals.
With Sox right-hander Dylan Cease (5-3) getting zinged for seven runs over 3 1/3 innings, this one appeared lost almost from the get-go. Michael Brantley’s three-run homer followed Jose Altuve’s leadoff single and an error by third baseman Yoan Moncada.
Cease retired the next nine batters but was charged with four runs in the fourth. Carlos Correa bounced an RBI double over the right-center field wall and Abraham Toro, subbing for injured third baseman Alex Bregman, singled in two runs. Zack Burdi gave up a sacrifice fly that went on Cease’s tab after he left.
“I wasn’t getting count leverage, and the off-speed wasn’t there like it usually is,” Cease said. My stuff felt decent, but I wasn’t able to utilize it.”
Cease allowed four hits and two walks, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. His ERA climbed from 3.38 to 3.99.
“We’re not going to be perfect,” Cease said. “We’re going to have bad ones. I’m going to feel bad for tonight and then tomorrow I’m going to get back after it.”
The Sox were 8-2 in Cease’s previous 10 starts but the Astros were 6-1 in right-hander Jose Urquidy’s last seven. Urquidy pitched five scoreless innings before Adam Engel and Jose Abreu had RBI singles in the sixth. Jose Altuve and Toro homered against Matt Foster.
The series marks the second in a row for the Sox (43-26), who took two of three from the Rays at home this week, against the best in the AL. The Astros (40-28) won for the seventh time in eight games and lead the AL in runs, hits, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS.
“Their lineup is hands down the best lineup in the American League, so we’re going to have our hands full,” said Sox left-hander Dallas Keuchel, a former Astro.
The game was the first with two managers over 70 years since Aug. 2, 2006 when 71-year-old Felipe Alou of the Giants faced 70-year-old Frank Robinson of the Nationals. It was the first La Russa vs. Baker matchup since September 4, 2011 when Baker’s Reds beat the Cardinals 3-2 at Busch Stadium.
Baker’s Astros will be a handful.
“They’re obviously a good offensive team, and if you put them in hitter’s counts, it’s going to be tough,” Cease said.
Music fans (like those pictured at Lollapalooza 2019) will have plenty to cheer about this summer as live music returns to Chicago. | Santiago Covarrubias/For the Sun-Times
For fans of any genre, live music isn’t hard to come by in Chicago. Check out our highlights for concerts, festivals and live performances in and around the city.
Welcome to our highlights for concerts, festivals and live music in Chicago. From free shows at Millennium Park to large festivals like Ravinia and Lollapalooza, and intimate shows at small local venues, our guide has all the latest music entertainment. Bookmark this page and check back for updates on concerts and events.
The Old Town School of Folk Music
Suzanne HarrisOriginal Chicago Blues All Stars Revue
What: The venue presents a free stream of “Freedom Songs Juneteenth Celebration”featuring a performance by the Original Chicago Blues All Stars Revue, which includes members of blues great Willie Dixon’s band. The evening begins with singer-poet Ugochi and the Afro Soul Ensemble.
What: Grammy Award-winning R&B singer-songwriterAnthony Hamilton, known for such songs as “Comin’ From Where I’m From,” “You’ve Got the Love I Need” and “Pray for Me,” performs a livestream concert. During an encore segment, Hamilton will perform for the first time in concert his new single “You Made a Fool of Me.”
What: The summer solstice is celebrated with “Light of the Sun,” saxophonist Paul Winter’s annual concert this year presented virtually from the loft of Winter’s barn in the hills of Northwest Connecticut. Special guests are vocalist Theresa Thomason and cellist Eugene Friesen, who is joined by pianist Henrique Eisenmann and bassoonist Jeff Boratko.
When: The performance livestreams at 3:30 a.m. June 19 ($20) and is available on demand to Aug. 31 ($15).
What: American Blues Theater ensemble member Denzel Tsopnang performs “An Evening of Legends,” featuring the music of Sammy Davis Jr., Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and more.
What: Summer Nights with Northlight is a cabaret series held at Evanston restaurants to benefit Northlight Theatre. The performers are Alexis J. Roston and Kelvin Roston Jr. (June 10, Good to Go Jamaican, 711 W. Howard), Linda Solotaire (July 27, Sketchbook Brewing Company, 4901 Main, Skokie) and Heidi Kettenring (Aug. 24, Peckish Pig, 623 W. Howard).
When: Performances times are 6 p.m.
Tickets: $60 includes light dinner and select drinks. Visit northlight.org.
Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collective
What: Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collectivepresents “Emerge,” a new cabaret series featuring music, drag performance, comedy and spoken word.
Marlon TaylorPoet Luis Tubens a.k.a. Logan Lu (from left), dancer Alyssa Harslton, singer Lester Rey, choreographer and dancer Maria Luisa Torres, dancer Angela Townsend, and musicians Natalie Land and Peter “Maestro” Vale celebrate Puerto Rican stories of pride and resilience through original Afro-Latin dance, spoken word, and music in “Raices to Roots.”
WHAT: The Chicago Puerto Rican experience is celebrated in “Raices to Roots.” Using “home” as a theme, a cast of artists embody stories of pride, struggle and resilience through original Afro-Latin dance, spoken word and music. The performers are poet Luis Tubens a.k.a. Logan Lu; dancers Maria Luisa Torres, Alyssa Harslton and Angela Townsend; and musicians and performers Peter “Maestro” Vale, Natalie Land and Lester Rey.
WHEN: June 5-6, 24-27
WHERE: Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4048 W. Armitage.
Copyright MCA“Tuesdays on the Terrace” at the MCA in Chicago.
When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays June 1-Aug. 31
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art’s outdoor sculpture garden, 220 E. Chicago
What: Tuesdays on the Terrace returns to the Museum of Contemporary Art’s outdoor sculpture garden. The popular jazz concert series features an array of Chicago jazz musiciansFirst up on June 1 is Alexis Lombre’s Ancestral Awakenings. Free with advance reservations. Visit mcachicago.org.
Lollapalooza
When: July 29-Aug. 1
Where: Grant Park
What: Lollapalooza returns to Grant Park July 29-Aug. 1 with Foo Fighters, Post Malone, Tyler, the Creator, Miley Cyrus, Dababy, Marchmello, Journey, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Kaytranada and more. $375+/festival pass. Visit lollapalooza.com.
Pitchfork Music Festival
When: Sept. 10-12
Where: Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph
What: The Pitchfork Music Festival returns to Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph. Performers include Erykah Badu Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, The Fiery Furnaces, Angel Olsen, Kim Gordon Waxahatchee, Flying Lotus, Thundercat and more.
Chicagoans can find a range of plays, musicals and dance shows at local theaters large and small. Our guide has the latest on what’s on stage in the city.
Welcome to our highlights of events and entertainment on stage at Chicago’s theaters. From local productions to Broadway hits, our guide has the latest on shows in the city. Bookmark this page and check back for updates and ticket information.
Steppenwolf Theatre
Joan Marcus/WP TheaterDonnetta Lavinia Grays in “Where We Stand”
What: The final entry in the Steppenwolf NOW virtual season is “Where We Stand,” a storytelling tour-de-force about community and accountability written and performed by Donnetta Lavinia Grays. Through poetic verse and music, the drama challenges our ability to forgive and our ideas of mercy and who might deserve it. The filmed play captures a performance originally presented at Baltimore Center Stage co-produced with WP Theater.
When/tickets: A $75 ticket includes all six of the productions in the NOW series available online through Aug. 31
What: The Goodman Theatre’s “Live” series, which brings together technology, videography and stage production, continues with Adrienne Kennedy’s “Ohio State Murders.” Directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene, the drama is the story of a student who arrives at Ohio State University in 1949 and soon discovers there is no safe haven in academia. Years later she returns as an accomplished author to speak about her work and unravel a chilling mystery.
When: Livestreams at 7:30 p.m. June 17-18, 2 and 7:30 p.m. June 19 and 2 p.m. June 20.
Michael HalberstamKamal Angelo Bodden in “Ride Share”
What: In Reginald Edmund’s“Ride Share,”a co-production of Black Lives, Black Words and Writers Theatre, everything in Marcus’ (Kamal Angelo Bolden) life is going smoothly until he’s laid off from his job. To make ends meet, he becomes a ride share driver. Edmund says the drama, directed by Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway, “takes us on a journey into the depths of the Black male experience in America.”
Javier Del ValleMarian Pabón in “Sola en la Pandemia está Cañón”
What: The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance presents“Sola en la Pandemia está Cañón (Being Alone in a Pandemic Is Hard),” actor and comedian Marian Pabón’s new one-woman comedy about the madness of surviving the pandemic.
“Algazara”; photo by Dean Paul“Algazara” by Ensemble Español
What: Ensemble Español celebrates its 45th anniversary with three outdoor performances. The program features the world premieres of Wendy Clinard’s “Tangos de Granada” and Nino de los Reyes’ “Farruca” and “Solea,” and two audience favorites: Jose Barrios’ “Algazara” and company founder Dame Libby Komaiko’s “Zapateado.”
When: Performances are 7:30 p.m. June 18-20
Where: North Shore Center for the Performing Arts parking lot, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie.
Tickets: $32-$42. The June 19 performance also will be livestreamed ($20) and available on demand through June 26.
What: M.A.D.D. Rhythms partners with the Harold Washington Cultural Center (2701 S. Martin Luther King Dr.) and Bronzeville businesses for its annual Juneteenth celebration. The in-person afternoon event includes dance, DJ and live music, food, workshops, raffles, art and children’s activities.
When: 1 p.m. June 19 The in-person afternoon event includes dance, DJ and live music, food, workshops, raffles, art and children’s activities.
What: Court Theatre presents an online staging of Owen McCafferty’s “Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912),”directed by Vanessa Stalling. The drama tells the story of the sinking of the HMS Titanic using verbatim testimonies from a court investigation of the wreck that probe the causes of the catastrophe, the value systems that enabled it and if indeed it was actually preventable.
What: Summer Nights with Northlight is a cabaret series held at Evanston restaurants to benefit Northlight Theatre. The performers are Alexis J. Roston and Kelvin Roston Jr. (June 10, Good to Go Jamaican, 711 W. Howard), Linda Solotaire (July 27, Sketchbook Brewing Company, 4901 Main, Skokie) and Heidi Kettenring (Aug. 24, Peckish Pig, 623 W. Howard).
When: Performances times are 6 p.m.
Tickets: $60 includes light dinner and select drinks. Visit northlight.org.
Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collective
What: Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collectivepresents “Emerge,” a new cabaret series featuring music, drag performance, comedy and spoken word First up at 10 p.m. June 11 is the retro blues trio Improper Behavior featuring vocalist Sharon Waltham, guitarist Keith Fort and upright bass player Gregory Redfeairn.
Ghostlight EnsembleLevi Denton-Hughes as Soledad in “It’s Poppin’” at Ghostlight Ensemble.
WHAT: Ghostlight Theatre’s “Make/Believe,” its annual festival for young audiences, takes place virtually this year. Featured are six new short plays that run the gamut from “Sunshine and the Sea of Lost Things,” about a child with no memory lost at sea to “It’s Poppin’,” about a balloon afraid of soaring through the clouds, to “Splash of Magic,” about a young Black girl trying to conquer her fear of swimming.
WHEN: The festival streams live at 2 p.m. June 5-6 and on demand to July 4
What: June is Chicago Dance Month and it kicks off on May 29 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand. Presented by See Chicago Dance, the free live event features performances by Aerial Dance Chicago, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Mandala Arts and The Seldoms. The celebration continues with pop-up performances (3 p.m. Saturdays June 5-Sept. 4, Navy Pier), a park-wide dance “scavenger hunt” featuring an eclectic group of artists (4:30 p.m. June 9, 30 in McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing) and a virtual event with more dance performances (6 p.m. June 24). All events are free. Visit seechicagodance.com/dancemonth.
The Bears are considering leaving Soldier Field. | Sun-Times file
When president/CEO Ted Phillips announced Thursday that Bears put in a bid to buy the Arlington International Racecourse property, it was a reminder that the team has been here before. Literally. On the same piece of land.
Unhappy with how Soldier Field compared to the rest of the league’s stadiums, the Bears met with the village president of Arlington Heights to talk about building a stadium there. The Bears’ president said the team had “definite interest” in building a stadium on the Arlington International Racecourse property. Plans for a 76,000-seat stadium were eventually unveiled.
The year was 1975.
When president/CEO Ted Phillips announced Thursday that Bears put in a bid to buy the race track property, it was a reminder that the team has been here before. Literally. On the same piece of land.
Since they moved to Soldier Field, the Bears have leveraged grand suburban plans to convince the city to make improvements. Soldier Field wasn’t the team’s first choice, anyway. In 1970, the year before they moved to the lakefront, the Bears signed a five-year deal to share Northwestern’s stadium, only to have the Evanston plan shot down by the Big Ten.
In 1971, they first flirted with Arlington Heights.
In 1975, they negotiated with both Arlington Heights and Elk Grove Village, but stayed at Soldier Field after — see if this sounds familiar — after the city agreed to improve the lakefront stadium.
In 1995 alone, the Bears teased three different potential moves. They announced they held rights to buy land in both Hoffman Estates and Aurora — and also considered a stadium project in Northwest Indiana.
In 1998, with two years left on their lease and seeking a Soldier Field renovation, the Bears returned to Elk Grove Village. Eventually, the Bears got what they wanted — a $587 million Soldier Field remodel in 2002.
Eighteen years after it opened, the stadium feels small and cramped. Because the city owns the stadium, the Bears lack the control that most other professional sports teams take for granted.
The Bears’ latest threat — and Mayor Lori Lightfoot essentially called it that Thursday — is more substantial than those past flirtations. Bidding for property is a loud statement, even if it’s the first of many steps. If the Bears are chosen, both the team and Churchill Downs, Inc., will have time to further vet the details before deciding whether to follow through. While the selection could take weeks, vetting will take months. That’s a long runway for the Bears to negotiate with Lightfoot — but it has an ending in sight.
In 1975, then-vice president Ed McCaskey said the Bears would move if someone else built a stadium “because we can’t afford it.” They’re still renters, but they’re in a different weight class, financially, then they were 46 years ago. Last year, Forbes valued the Bears at $3.53 billion.
In recent years, the McCaskey family has taken steps to shed its once-cheap reputation, paying more than $100 million to renovate Halas Hall and giving Khalil Mack a six-year, $141 million contract that was a record for a defensive player.
Buying land and building a new stadium, though, would be the boldest move in the 101-year history of the Halas and McCaskey ownership. It’s enough to wonder whether the Bears are primed to do something unprecedented — or are in executing the latest leverage play in 50 years full of them.
The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971. | Robert A. Davis
The team’s bid signals it’s legitimately considering leaving Soldier Field, home of the Bears since 1971.
The possibility of the Bears leaving Soldier Field for a new stadium in Arlington Heights became significantly more realistic once they put in a bid to buy the Arlington International Racecourse property.
The potential relocation had been little more than speculation until team president Ted Phillips announced the bid Thursday. Phillips couched it as the Bears exploring “every possible option” and allows them to “further evaluate the property and its potential” if their bid is accepted, and it’s obvious that means relocating is legitimately under consideration.
That being said, the Bears have made numerous relocation ploys over the years to gain leverage over the City of Chicago in negotiations over Soldier Field. Arlington Heights was a possibility in the 1970s, when Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley threatened to prevent the team from using Chicago in its name and mused about the lack of interest there would be in “the Arlington Heights Bears.”
Chairman George McCaskey, whose family has owned the team since its inception in 1920, declined comment through a spokesman.
Overall, the Bears want more control over their home stadium, which isn’t actually theirs. Because the Chicago Park District owns Soldier Field, the team is limited in what it can do as far as expanding the capacity beyond its current 62,000, modernizing aspects of a 97-year-old building, selling sponsorships of certain areas of the stadium and building things like a year-round museum and gift shop.
There’d be nothing holding them back in Arlington Heights, where mayor Thomas Hayes has been openly campaigning to lure them. He called a potential Bears move a “best-case scenario” for his village Thursday.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity, but it’s certainly not a done deal,” Hayes said. “There’s a long way to go.”
Hayes said he had met with fewer than 10 potential bidders for the site. Churchill Downs, Inc. owns the property and said it plans to give an update on the sale “in the coming weeks.” A spokesperson declined comment on the Bears’ bid.
On the other end of this tug-of-war, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot sharpened her tone from saying last month she wanted to help the Bears maximize what they’re getting out of Soldier Field and came out with a blazing statement Thursday saying the Bears “are locked into a lease,” and pointing out that “many organizations are doubling down on their commitment to Chicago,” while the Bears flirt with the suburbs.
“This is clearly a negotiation tactic that the Bears have used before,” Lightfoot said. “As a season-ticket holder and longtime Bears fan, I am committed to keeping the ‘Chicago’ name in our football team.”
Then she took the cruelest swipe of all.
“Like most Bears fans, we want the organization to focus on putting a winning team on the field, beating the Packers finally and being relevant past October,” she said. “Everything else is noise.”
Sun-Times fileArlington International Racecourse, pictured in August 2012.
That noise probably won’t quiet anytime soon.
The racetrack property covers 326 acres about six miles north of the Northwest Tollway. That’s far more space than they have at Soldier Field, it’s an advantageous location based on internal research that shows the majority of their fan base is in the north and northwest suburbs and it’s about half the trek from Halas Hall in Lake Forest.
The Arlington Heights property would be exclusively for a stadium. The team poured more than $100 million into renovating Halas Hall in 2019 and will hold training camp there for the foreseeable future.
The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971 and have a lease running through 2033. The organization doesn’t consider that lease to be a barrier, a source said, because it could negotiate a buyout and construction on a new facility would take years anyway.
Recently built NFL stadiums have been extravagant in design and enormous in price. The newly opened stadiums in Los Angeles and Las Vegas cost $5 billion-$6 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively. The others in the last seven years are for the Falcons ($1.6 billion), Vikings ($1.1 billion) and 49ers ($1.3 billion).
In terms of price and aesthetics, the Bears are likely to give U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis a long look as they imagine their new home. It has a 73,000-person capacity, a glass roof and glass on much of the stadium walls to allow as much daylight as possible.
That stadium opened in 2016 and has already hosted a Super Bowl, a Final Four and various other major concerts and events. Building that kind of venue would give the Bears similar opportunities that simply wouldn’t work at Soldier Field.
Staff writer Mitchell Armentrout contributed to this story.
Chicago police keep watch and crime scene tape hangs outside a house in the 6200 block of South Morgan, where eight people were shot, four fatally, inside the Englewood building, Tuesday afternoon, June 15, 2021. The city filed a lawsuit against the home’s owner in 2020 to improve safety features, but the lawsuit hadn’t even been served to the owner by the time of the mass shooting. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Chicago’s lawsuit seeking fencing, heavy-duty locks and security cameras stalled because the owner could not be reached.
More than a year ago, the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Englewood home where eight people were shot this week, asking that he install fencing, heavy-duty locks and security cameras to make the property safer.
But the lawsuit stalled because officials could not reach the owner, who did not live in the home in the 6200 block of South Morgan Street. When gunfire filled the two-story house early Tuesday, killing four, the city had made no progress on any of the security measures.
Two days later, the city finally reached the owner, Enrique Badillo Sr., according to city Law Department spokeswoman Kristen Cabanban.
She couldn’t say why the city took over a year to serve Badillo with the lawsuit. Public records show he owns several properties in Chicago and resides in Logan Square.
The court will now have more jurisdiction over compliance with safety improvements, Cabanban said. City officials have seen no evidence that any of the measures have been taken by the owner, she said. A hearing is set for July 1.
The city filed the “public nuisance” suit in March of 2020, months after a man was shot during a large party inside the home, according to the lawsuit.
Police found the man bleeding in the kitchen from several gunshot wounds on Nov. 1, 2019, the suit states. He was taken to a hospital in serious condition. At least 50 people were in the home at the time, the suit claims, and there was drinking and a dice game.
It’s unclear if any of the victims from Tuesday’s mass shooting were living in the home back then. One of those shot and badly wounded was a barber who lived there and cut hair at the house.
Attempts to reach the property owner were unsuccessful Thursday.
Police have released few details about Tuesday’s shooting, and it’s unclear whether any of the measures sought by the city could have prevented it. Police have not said whether there’s any video of the attack, or how the gunman got into the house.
The city had filed the lawsuit to “take action to abate criminal activity” at the home, a two-story wood-frame house with a gray stone front. The lawsuit listed a series of actions the city could take to make the home safer: Evicting residents and ordering the owner to install security measures, including fencing, gate locks, outdoor lighting, security cameras and hiring a security guard.
The home was last inspected in January 2020, though the inspector was unable to enter the home, according to the suit. The inspector listed several code violations: broken windows, an unsafe staircase and porch, and construction work performed without a permit.
The city sought to fine the owner $10,000, plus $1,000 per day for each violation since the inspection.
Ald. Stephanie Coleman, whose 16th Ward includes the home on Morgan Street, did not respond to a request for comment.
Provided photosFrom left, victims Shermetria Williams, Denice Mathis and Blake Lee. They were among eight people shot, four fatally, Tuesday morning in Englewood.
The attack was one of three mass shootings in Chicago in little over a week.
Relatives said one of the victims, 34-year-old Blake Lee, lived in the home and did odd jobs in the neighborhood. He died in the attack. Another resident of the home, James Tolbert, ran a barbershop from the house. He was seriously wounded.
“That man is a barber, he cuts hair from here, this is his business and this is his home,” Robyn Eddmonds said during a Wednesday vigil for the victims. “It was his home that he opened up to [others] but it also was his business. He wasn’t a gangbanger… He didn’t do any of that.”
Also living in the home was Tolbert’s girlfriend and their 2-year-old daughter. The girlfriend remained in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head. The girl was not shot but was taken to a hospital for observation.
The victims were gathered in the home for the 28th birthday of Ratanya Aryiel Rogers, who was shot and killed in the attack. Police said a gunman broke into the home before 5:40 a.m. and started shooting. All but one of the victims was shot in the head, police said.
The others who died were Denice Mathis, 32, a mother of four boys, and Shermetria Williams, 19, the mother of a 2-year-old girl.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she is committed to keeping the Bears in Chicago. | Kiichiro Sato/AP
“It’s the ‘Chicago Bears,’” one fan tweeted after team president Ted Phillips announced the Bears have placed a bid to buy the Arlington International Racecourse property.
After much speculation, the Bears took a concrete step towards moving the historic franchise by placing a bid to buy the Arlington International Racecourse property Thursday — and as expected fans had much to say.
Some fans applauded the move, as they hoped for a larger new stadium that could be more accessible by car or Metra — while others were outraged by the mere idea of the team leaving the city.
I’m not sure how I feel about da bears moving away from soldier field.
— Cannabis Farmer: Jim Belushi (@JimBelushi) June 17, 2021
Nicole Richardson, a lifelong fan, told the Sun-Times that Soldier Field is “iconic” even with the renovation that some have compared to a “spaceship.”
“It’s the ‘Chicago Bears,’” Richardson wrote. “If the owners want to move outside of the city they need to relinquish the name.”
If Lori Lightfoot loses the Chicago Bears I will escort her out of the city myself lmaofffffff
Mayor Lori Lightfoot took to Twitter and issued a similar statement, affirming her commitment to “keeping the ‘Chicago’ name in our football team.”
In the announcement Thursday, team president Ted Phillips said the Bears are exploring “every possible option,” adding if their bid is selected it would allow them to “further evaluate the property and its potential.”
Chicago Bears are one of the premier franchises in the NFL. They should have a stadium that reflects that. They easily have the worst stadium in their division.
Since the Park District owns Soldier Field, the team is looking for more control over changes it wants to see at the 97-year-old building.
The Bears would not face such restrictions in Arlington Heights, opening the door for a larger stadium possibly with a dome.
Way too many football purists, imo. Having a stadium on the lakefront is cool but if the @ChicagoBears can build an awesome modern stadium with great amenities and a DOME, im down (no cold weather has never helped thew Bears, they still lose. Just makes games miserable in winter)
Another lifelong fan, Jamal Neff, fully supports the potential move, hoping it will make games more accessible and affordable.
As an adult, Neff said he has been to only one game at Soldier Field.
“When I was there, the price of the tickets was just outrageous — to sit in an angle that was cumbersome [and] to look at playing that was atrocious,” Neff said.
Like many others, Neff remembers the excitement of the ‘85 Super Bowl season but says the stadium itself had nothing to do with that.
“I remember the city being electric, the neighborhoods coming alive,” Neff said. “I remember the song and how it united the city and it wasn’t really about being at the stadium or in the Museum Campus. It was just about being in the neighborhoods that make up Chicago.”
But Neff said he is positive on the Bears outlook for the future, saying regardless of location “the future is bright” for the team.
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