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Nursing student killed after teen, 2 others fired 22 shots into convenience store, prosecutors sayon December 17, 2020 at 10:42 pm

A 15-year-old boy is charged with killing a young nursing student last winter while she was shopping when he and two others opened fire at an Avalon Park convenience store.

The shooters missed their target, an unarmed man inside the store, and instead struck five innocent bystanders in the Feb. 25 attack, Cook County prosecutors said in court Thursday.

Jaya Beemon, 18, was killed and four others were wounded: an 18-year-old woman, a 17-year-old girl and two men, ages 19 and 63.

The teen, who is not being named because he is charged as a juvenile, faces more than a dozen charges, including murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery with a handgun.

Judge Linda Perez ordered the boy held at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center during his initial hearing Thursday.

Surveillance video released after the shooting showed the teen and two still unidentified people pull up outside Avalon Food Mart at 79th Street and Avalon Avenue in a Chrysler 300 sedan. They walk past a fence and through the store’s parking lot to the front door of the store, prosecutors said.

High-quality surveillance footage clearly captured the teen’s face as he approaches the building, but the faces of the other shooters were obscured because they were wearing masks, prosecutors said.

After opening the door to the store, all three began shooting — firing at least 22 rounds into the busy market, prosecutors said.

Chicago police investigate the scene where multiple people were shot and one was killed in the 7900 block of South Avalon, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020.
Chicago police investigate the scene where multiple people were shot and one was killed in the 7900 block of South Avalon, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020.
Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Beemon was struck in the neck and later died at University of Chicago Hospital, prosecutors said. Other victims suffered gunshot wounds to the back, chest and arms.

One of the surviving victims later identified the teen by his nickname “Little D,” prosecutors said.

The boy was taken into custody Wednesday.

A private defense attorney declined to offer additional information about his client during the hearing.

He was expected back in court Dec. 29.

Shortly after the shooting, the victim’s mother, Nyisha Beemon, was briefly charged with resisting arrest after she allegedly kicked a police officer while being dragged from the emergency room.

Prosecutors later dropped the charges, claiming the charges had been filed without their review.

Nyisha Beemon told the Chicago Sun-Times that she was grieving the loss of her daughter and that the “charges were bogus.”

A relative of Beemon was kicked out of the live-streamed hearing Thursday after repeatedly making comments and loudly arguing with the judge when she was reminded not to speak.

The argument came after the judge had noted that the boy could face a range of penalties, including probation — leading Beemon’s relative to shout that if the judge released the boy on probation, he “can murder your children.”

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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Nursing student killed after teen, 2 others fired 22 shots into convenience store, prosecutors sayon December 17, 2020 at 10:42 pm Read More »

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Hey Trump haters, he can file as many lawsuits as he damn well pleaseson December 17, 2020 at 8:31 pm

The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, Proprietor

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Hey Trump haters, he can file as many lawsuits as he damn well pleaseson December 17, 2020 at 8:31 pm Read More »

PHOTOS: Curbside carolers spread holiday cheer to Rōti Lincoln Park customerson December 17, 2020 at 8:50 pm

ChicagoNow Staff Blog

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PHOTOS: Curbside carolers spread holiday cheer to Rōti Lincoln Park customerson December 17, 2020 at 8:50 pm Read More »

You Are Special To Someone.on December 17, 2020 at 8:48 pm

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PHOTOS: Chicago Bears’ Akiem Hicks delivers gifts to SOS Children’s Villages Illinoison December 17, 2020 at 9:10 pm

ChicagoNow Staff Blog

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PHOTOS: Chicago Bears’ Akiem Hicks delivers gifts to SOS Children’s Villages Illinoison December 17, 2020 at 9:10 pm Read More »

15-year-old charged in murder of retired firefighter was part of ‘calculated’ carjacking attempt, prosecutors saidon December 17, 2020 at 8:28 pm

A 15-year-old boy is facing a murder charge in the fatal shooting of a retired Chicago firefighter earlier this month outside a Morgan Park popcorn shop.

The teen, who is not being named because he is charged as a juvenile, was unarmed at the time of the shooting. He was with two other people who had guns when they confronted 65-year-old Dwain Williams at gunpoint on Dec. 3 in an apparent attempt to rob him, Cook County prosecutors said in court Thursday.

The group allegedly followed Williams in a stolen car as he drove to Let’s Get Poppin’ at 11758 S. Western Ave., and then waited for him to return.

“The time it took to follow and lay in wait for the victim shows a calculated plan,” Assistant State’s Attorney Sophia David said in court.

Surveillance cameras recorded Williams as he drove by a gas station, where the group was parked in a black Ford Fusion that had been reported stolen days earlier in the south suburbs, prosecutors said. It also recorded the Ford Fusion as it allegedly followed Williams.

Other surveillance cameras recorded the car drive by the popcorn shop after Williams went inside, make a U-turn and eventually park about three spaces away from his SUV, prosecutors said.

Chicago police show surveillance video of the murder of retired Chicago Firefighter Dwain Williams in the Morgan Park neighborhood.
Chicago police show surveillance video of the murder of retired Chicago Firefighter Dwain Williams in the Morgan Park neighborhood.
Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

In the video of the shooting, which unfolded in a few seconds, Williams is seen walking toward his Jeep with a bag in his hand when he is approached by two people with guns, authorities said.

Williams retreats behind his car as one of the suspects rushes toward him with a gun in his hand. Williams pulls out his own gun and is seen firing at the suspect, who falls to the ground before jumping back into the car and eventually fleeing.

Williams was shot in the abdomen during the incident and later died at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Nothing was taken during the robbery attempt, officials said.

Shortly afterwards, one of the offenders called his girlfriend and asked to borrow her car, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said surveillance cameras later captured both cars driving together. The Ford was found abandoned Dec. 5.

The 15-year-old was arrested the next day and initially charged with criminal trespass to a vehicle, prosecutors said. Records allegedly showed the boy’s phone was at the scene of the murder and also in the area where the stolen Ford was located, prosecutors said.

DNA and fingerprints recovered from the Ford also led to identifying the teen, including prints on the car’s license plate and roof of the car, and witnesses further identified him from still photos taken from surveillance footage, according to prosecutors.

He faces multiple counts of first-degree murder, as well as a count of armed robbery, officials said. No charges against any other suspects have been announced.

The teen is a high school freshman in Chicago Heights, where he lives with his mom and sister, and is active in sports and the local Boys and Girls Club, his assistant public defender Courtenay Harris said.

The teen “was not one of the young men with a weapon,” Harris said. “He did not have a firearm in his hand.”

Judge Linda Perez ordered him held in custody ahead of his next hearing on Monday.

Perez advised the boy to be on his best behavior at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, saying another judge would consider his conduct there in their decision about whether he should be released as the case continues.

“Yes, ma’am,” the teen said softly in reply.

Chicago firefighters salute as the procession carrying the remains of retired firefighter Dwain Williams arrives at the Cook County Medical Examiners Office, after Williams was shot and killed in the 2400 block of West 118th St. in the Morgan Park Neighborhood, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020.
Chicago firefighters salute as the procession carrying the remains of retired firefighter Dwain Williams arrives at the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Williams was a Chicago Fire Department lieutenant who retired about two years ago after joining the department in 1992, officials said. He was about to return to work as a civilian employee at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.

A group of activists and organizations, including the anti-violence group “I’m Telling, Don’t Shoot,” have put up a combined reward of $34,000 for information leading to any arrests in his killing.

It wasn’t immediately clear if someone claimed the reward.

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15-year-old charged in murder of retired firefighter was part of ‘calculated’ carjacking attempt, prosecutors saidon December 17, 2020 at 8:28 pm Read More »

The winningest high school basketball programs of the decade: No. 46 Barringtonon December 17, 2020 at 4:52 pm

When high school basketball fans think back to the 1980s, programs like Quincy, Providence St. Mel, East St. Louis Lincoln and the arrival of city powers King and Simeon are easy to think back on.

The 1990s brought us memorable basketball giants in Peoria Manual and Thornton, a few steamrolling Proviso East teams and the continued dominance of King.

The first 10 years of the 2000s included Glenbrook North, Peoria High and the beginning of a Simeon juggernaut.

Now, with the calendar inching closer to wrapping up an unforgettable 2020, the end of this month closes out another decade. And it’s another high school basketball time period to look back on.

Earlier this year we broke down the decade’s best teams and best players. Now, with every season of the past decade complete, it’s time to look at the Chicago area programs who won the most.

This list is comprised of the 50 winningest programs over the past 10 years, starting with the 2010-11 season and concluding with the 2019-20 season. Every team in every class throughout the Chicago area will be broken down in a variety of ways. But total wins, with winning percentage used as tie-breaker, determined the rankings.

We present No. 46 Barrington today and will add one program a day going forward.

46. BARRINGTON: 184-109

Decade’s biggest storyline: It had been two decades since Barrington basketball played for a sectional championship when the Broncos advanced to the sectional title game in 2018. That team fell to Lake Zurich but finished with a decade-best 24 wins and the most wins in a season since the 2001-02 season.

Underrated decade highlight: People may not realize that Barrington has as many division titles — three Mid-Suburban League West championships — as any other program in the entire Mid-Suburban League over the past decade.

Player of the Decade: Brad Zaumseil (2013)

All-Decade Team: Brad Zaumseil (2013), Greg Gerrard (2011), Owen Prunskis (2011), Chris Lester (2015) and Damian Zivak (2021)

Other decade news and highlights: Overall, the Broncos experienced the most success in a decade — just over 18 wins a year, three division titles and pair of regional titles — since the 1970s.

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The winningest high school basketball programs of the decade: No. 46 Barringtonon December 17, 2020 at 4:52 pm Read More »