Read More

Sun-Times file

Someone fired from an SUV that pulled along side the man Monday near the southwest corner of Rosehill Cemetery, police say.

A motorist was killed Monday morning on the North Side when someone fired shots from an SUV that pulled along side him near the southwest corner of Rosehill Cemetery.

The man, 41, was shot in his chest around 5:10 a.m. in the 5300 block of North Western Avenue, Chicago police said. He lost control of the car and crashed into a building one block south.

His two passengers, both men in their 40s, were either uninjured or suffered minor injuries, police said.

The shooter drove off, possibly in an older-model Acura SUV, with another person inside.

Police reported no arrests.

The police district that covers the area has seen only one other murder and seven shootings this year through Oct. 17, according to police statistics. In the same period last year, the 20th District had recorded seven murders and nine shootings.

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

Read More

K9 Riggs and Deputy Tifft. | Kenosha County sheriff’s office

Riggs was shot last week as Kenosha County deputies responded to a gas station after being tipped off that a murder suspect was driving the victim’s car in the area.

A police dog hailed as a hero for taking a bullet from a Chicago murder suspect last week has been released from a hospital and was expected to make a full recovery.

K9 Riggs was released Sunday from a hospital in Buffalo Grove where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the forehead, the Kenosha County sheriff’s department said in a statement.

Riggs “walked out of the vet hospital on his own,” the office said.

Riggs was shot Oct. 21 as deputies responded to the Benson Corners gas station in Bristol after being tipped off by Chicago police that a murder suspect was driving the victim’s car in the area, officials said.

As deputies confronted the man, he ran off while holding a gun but Riggs took him down as he was approaching a nearby highway, officials said. The man opened fire and hit Riggs once in the forehead.

Deputies fired at the man, striking him in the abdomen and leg. He remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery, officials said.

Police have not said what murder in Chicago the car was connected to. No charges have been filed.

Residents have shown an outpouring of support for Riggs and several have started raising money online for him and the K9 program, officials said. But the sheriff’s department is warning residents of possible scams.

Anyone who wants to donate to the program was asked to mail a check to the Kenosha County sheriff’s department.

Read More

A man was shot dead Oct. 25, 2021, in Englewood. | Adobe Stock Photo

About 10:47 a.m., he was standing in the 1400 block of West 60th Street when someone fired shots from a red Charger, Chicago police said.

A man was killed in a shooting Monday morning in Englewood on the South Side.

About 10:47 a.m., he was standing in the 1400 block of West 60th Street when someone fired shots from a red Charger, Chicago police said.

The 22-year-old was struck multiple times and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Area detectives are investigating.

Read More

Casinos, a racetrack, and major sports teams are all trying to cash in on Illinois’s $5 billion a year sports betting habit.Read More

The Chicago Blackhawks are in big trouble now. They are 0-5-1` and one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. The Detroit Red Wings came to town as a much-improved bunch from previous years and made things so difficult on the Blackhawks. Marc Andre Fleury was under pressure all night and that forced him […] Chicago Blackhawks: Detroit Red Wings add to the embarrassment – Da Windy City – Da Windy City – A Chicago Sports Site – Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Fighting Illini & MoreRead More

Wheaton North’s Mark Forcucci (5) passes the ball during the game against Batavia. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

The bracket is lopsided, which could provide some excellent early games.

The three best teams in Class 7A are all bunched together in the top of the bracket. Only one of Batavia, Mount Carmel and Brother Rice will advance to the semifinal.

The Bulldogs are undefeated and the top seed. The 7A bracket is seeded from 1 to 32 based first on record, and second on the combined wins of all opponents. There were seven teams in the field with one loss or fewer, which is how the 7-2 Crusaders became the nine seed.

Mount Carmel will actually be playing a road game in the first round, traveling to South Holland to face Thornwood. That could give the Caravan a boost in the second round.

If Mount Carmel and Batavia win, the second round matchup between the two powerhouses will be played in Chicago.

The Caravan, with almost an entirely new team, was expected to struggle early and gain experience and confidence through the season. That’s not what happened. They young team was among the area’s best from the start, opening with wins against St. Rita, Phillips, Notre Dame and Marist.

Mount Carmel gave top-ranked Loyola a stern test in Week 9, losing 21-19. The Caravan is ready to win now and would be favored to win at home against Batavia.

Class 7A favorite: Brother Rice. This was a tough call. Batavia had a tremendous season. The Crusaders are the more talented team but the Bulldogs are winners. Batavia has pulled out overtime wins against Wheaton North and St. Charles North and a late win against Glenbard North. Most of those heroics were at home though. Winning a second-round game in Mount Carmel’s tiny wasp nest is a lot to ask.

Top contender: Mount Carmel. This isn’t Chicago bias. It’s entirely possible that Batavia is better than the Caravan, but the home field advantage referenced above is too much to overlook.

Bracket buster: Wheaton North. Guess what? The Falcons are the team that would face the Mount Carmel/Brother Rice/Batavia winner in the semifinals. The 7A bracket is incredibly top heavy. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Wheaton North holding the trophy in DeKalb either. Quarterback Mark Forcucci, a Holy Cross recruit, is an experienced senior leader and the Falcons defense has limited six opponents to eight points or fewer.

Best first round game: Yorkville at Plainfield Central. The Wildcats, who will host again, beat Yorkville at home 28-13 back in Week 2. The Foxes showed some real backbone last weekend though, knocking off Oswego 48-26 in a must-win game for their playoff lives.

Also keep an eye on Wheaton Warrenville South at Brother Rice. It isn’t out of the realm of the possibility that Jack Lausch and the Crusaders stumble right out of the gate. The Tigers have had an up and down season but their defense has been solid lately, allowing just 23 points total in the final three games of the season. They are also on a roll, having knocked off a ranked Glenbard North squad in Week 9 to secure a playoff spot.

Toughest path to title game: Brother Rice. The Crusaders may have to beat three teams that were ranked at some point this season just to get to DeKalb.

Class 7A pairings

#32 Lake Zurich (5-4) at #1 Batavia (9-0)
#17 Mount Carmel (6-3) at #16 Thornwood (7-2)
#25 Yorkville (5-4) at #8 Plainfield Central (8-1)
#24 Wheaton Warrenville South (5-4) at #9 Brother Rice (7-2)
#29 Larkin (5-4) at #4 Wheaton North (8-1)
#20 TF South (6-3) at #13 Hoffman Estates (7-2)
#28 Hampshire (5-4) at #5 Moline (8-1)
#21 Willowbrook (6-3) at #12 Young (7-2)
#31 Plainfield East (5-4) at #2 Hononegah (9-0)
#18 Libertyville (6-3) at #15 Pekin (7-2)
#26 Geneva (5-4) at #7 Collinsville (8-1)
#23 Rolling Meadows (5-4) at #10 St. Rita (7-2)
#30 Eisenhower (5-4) at #3 Normal (9-0)
#19 Jacobs (6-3) at #14 Hersey (7-2)
#27 Lincoln-Way West (5-4) at #6 Buffalo Grove (8-1)
#22 Shepard (5-4) at #11 Prospect (7-2)

Class 7A predictions

First round

Batavia defeats Lake Zurich

Mount Carmel d. Thornwood

Yorkville d. Plainfield Central

Brother Rice d. Wheaton Warrenville South

Wheaton North d. Larkin

Hoffman Estates d. TF South

Moline d. Hampshire

Willowbrook d. Young

Hononegah d. Plainfield East

Libertyville d. Pekin

Collinsville d. Geneva

St. Rita d. Rolling Meadows

Normal d. Eisenhower

Hersey d. Jacobs

Buffalo Grove d. Lincoln-Way West

Prospect d. Shepard

Second round

Mount Carmel d. Batavia

Brother Rice d. Yorkville

Wheaton North d. Hoffman Estates

Willowbrook d. Moline

Hononegah d. Libertyville

St. Rita d. Collinsville

Hersey d. Normal

Prospect d. Buffalo Grove

Quarterfinals

Brother Rice d. Mount Carmel

Wheaton North d. Willowbrook

St. Rita d. Hononegah

Hersey d. Prospect

Semifinals

Brother Rice d. Wheaton North

Hersey d. St. Rita

Championship

Brother Rice d. Hersey

Read More

Read More

Chicago police work the scene where multiple people were shot in the 7900 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, in the Chatham neighborhood, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Most of this weekend’s shootings were on the South and West sides, with nearly half of the shooting victims wounded on the South and Far South sides.

Three people were killed and 26 others wounded in shootings in Chicago over the weekend, including two wounded 15-year-olds and a mass shooting that wounded five people late Friday in the Chatham neighborhood.

The period was about as violent as last weekend, when four people people were killed and 20 others wounded.

Most of this weekend’s shootings were on the South and West sides, with nearly half of the shooting victims wounded on the South and Far South sides.

Chatham mass shooting

Friday night, five people were wounded in an attack in Chatham on the South Side. A group was standing outside at 9 p.m. in the 800 block of East 79th Street when someone opened fire, Chicago police said. Two woman and three men — all between 36 and 50 years old — were wounded.

The mass shooting happened months after 10 people were shot in another mass shooting in a parking lot near 75th Street and South Prairie Avenue in June.

Police reported no arrests.

Woman killed when boyfriend accidentally fires gun at McKinley Park party

Early Saturday, a woman was killed when her boyfriend accidentally fired his gun in a party in McKinley Park on the Southwest Side.

The 25-year-old woman was shot in her face when the gun discharged in the backyard shortly after midnight in the 3700 block of South Wood Street, police said. She died at Stroger Hospital. Her name hasn’t been released.

Man killed in West Garfield Park

On Sunday, a man was shot to death in West Garfield Park. Police found Kevin Powell, 29, lying on the ground in the 4400 block of West Monroe Street about 3:15 a.m. He suffered two gunshot wounds to the chest and was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital. No arrest has been made.

Englewood homicide

A man was killed Saturday morning in Englewood on the South Side. The 31-year-old was in the 1200 block of West 73rd Street when he was shot several times about 10:40 a.m., Chicago police said. The man was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center. His name hasn’t been released.

15-year-old among two wounded in Dunning robbery

Two teens were shot Saturday night when the tried to rob a man in Dunning on the Northwest Side. The teens, 15 and 19, had contacted the man about buying a gaming console he posted online, police said.

They met in the 3600 block of North Octavia Avenue and one of the teens grabbed the console and walked tp a parked car without paying, police said. The man, 29, went after him and saw another person in the car with a gun, at which point the man pulled out his own gun and fired, striking both teens, wounding the 15-year-old critically.

Another 15-year-old boy was shot late Saturday morning in Park Manor on the South Side. He was walking in the 6600 block of South King Drive when someone in a car pulled up and fired about 11:55 a.m. He was stabilized at Comer Children’s Hospital.

At least 18 others were wounded across the city between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.

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

Read More

These Chicago-area homes are poking through the real estate market with their pitched gabled roofs, stained glass windows, wood beams, and enormous fireplaces.Read More