Friends say he is the man who drowned and was pulled from the water early Saturday morning at DuSable Harbor. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as 63-year-old Nabil Abzal, of Plainfield, and ruled his death a homicide.
The circumstances surrounding Captain Bill's death remain murky on Monday.
"Experienced boaters don't drown. I mean, they're not going to slip and fall into the water. Something clearly happened here," said boater Jodi Kennedy.
Friends say Captain Bill slept on a boat he charters at DuSable Harbor.
"Captain Bill, as he was referred by most people, was kind of like the mayor of the dock. He would be here every day, because he was doing charters pretty much every day during the summer," said Alan Dutkiewicz. "He knew everybody always a smile on his face, up early, well-groomed all the time for a boat captain. He took a lot of pride in his appearance. You know if you were doing something, he would always lend a hand."
Robert Vanucci says the incident happened just feet away from him in the middle of the night.
"I was on the boat, sleeping, and I was awakened by all the emergency vehicles," Vanucci said.
Vanucci says he has known Captain Bill for years, and while he did not see how the incident unfolded, he said he saw surveillance video from the restaurant across the walkway from the gate to C Dock.
"Most of the video was on that side of the gate, and at nighttime, it wasn't a very clear shot of what happened at that gate," Vanucci said.
Vanucci says the video showed at least three other people with Captain Bill at the gate.
The restaurant owners say they shared the video with Chicago police and has not shared it with ABC7.
"It was clear to see who comes in out of the gate. So, hopefully, that camera caught the people who, in fact, you know, did this," Vanucci said.
Boaters who dock at DuSable Harbor are trying to understand what exactly happened that claimed the life of the beloved charter boat captain.
"He was all over. He'd always be stopping asking people, 'Hey, can I give you a hand with anything your rope? Your ropes are loose. Let me help you tie it.' He was just one of those guys," Vanucci said.
As the boating community comes to grips with the loss of one of its own, there is a memorial gathering planned for 6 p.m. Saturday at C Dock.
"They're like neighbors. And when something like this happens, it just makes you think that, 'Wow, anything can happen,'" Dutkiewicz said.
Organizers are encouraging people to come out and share memories of their friend, Captain Bill.
When ABC7 reached out to CPD for an update, they said no one is in custody, and area detectives are investigating the death as a homicide.
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