2 dead, 3 wounded in West Englewood shooting; victims were honoring man fatally shot in 2009
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two men were killed and three other people were wounded in a shooting on Chicago's South Side during a birthday celebration for the brother of one of the victims, who was fatally shot seven years ago.
Police said the group was gathered on the front porch of a home near West 68th Place and South Damen Avenue in the city's West Englewood neighborhood late Sunday night. Around 11:10 p.m., police said someone got exited a vehicle in a nearby vacant lot and opened fire.
Davon Barrett, 38, was shot in the head. He was rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Barrett's mother, who asked to conceal her face on camera, said the group was honoring her other son, Martell Barrett, who was shot and killed in 2009. He was 17. She said her third son, Cadavious Barrett, is fighting for his life after he was wounded in a different shooting over the weekend.
"I have to keep going. I have to, you know. I have to be strong," she said.
The other man killed in the shooting on West 68th Place was identified by friends as 26-year-old Devin Hamb. A bullet struck him in the chest. He was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
A 27-year-old man was shot in the back and transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center. Another 27-year-old man was shot in the left leg and taken to St. Bernard Hospital. A 24-year-old woman was shot in the left leg and rushed to Stroger Hospital. All three victims' conditions have stabilized.
No one is in custody. Police said the shooting was gang-related, but the family disputes that.
Danita Clemons, a cousin of one of the victims, raced to her family's house when she heard about the shooting.
"Terrible for our family - terrible for Chicago - that the body count is constantly going up. The shooting is constantly happening, daily," Clemons said. "You're not safe sitting on the porch, not safe sitting house, people out here shooting, they just don't care who it is affecting, no regard for life."
The block where this shooting took place is one that Bishop James Dukes of the Liberation Christian Center adopted three years ago. His goal was to bring resources to a street that is full of boarded up homes and empty lots. But Dukes says the latest shooting proves his efforts have been challenging.
"When media and police leave a community, it seems all the resources go with it," he said.
16th Ward Alderman Toni Foulkes says she is trying.
"Community, police, we're working together, but unfortunately, you can't be everywhere, especially at 11 p.m.," she said.
