4 dead, 39 wounded in Memorial Day weekend shootings

BySun-Times Media Wire
Monday, May 30, 2016
4 people fatally killed in weekend violence
Chicago police stepped up patrols to combat Memorial Day weekend violence.

CHICAGO -- Four people were killed, including a 15-year-old girl, and at least 39 more were wounded in shootings across Chicago over Memorial Day weekend.

The most recent homicide happened Saturday evening in the Fuller Park neighborhood on the South Side.

Garvin Whitmore, 27, was sitting in the driver seat of a vehicle with 26-year-old Ashley Harrison about 5:20 p.m. in the 200 block of West Root when someone walked up to the vehicle and shot the man in the head, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

Whitmore, of the 5800 block of West 63rd Place, was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:29 p.m., authorities said.

After he was shot, Harrison got out of the vehicle, fired several shots as the shooter ran away and threw the weapon to the ground, police said. No one else was injured.

Harrison, of the 800 block of North Lake Street, was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon without a FOID card, police said. She was ordered held on a $250,000 bond Sunday and was next scheduled to appear in court Friday. No one is in custody for the homicide.

Earlier Saturday, a 23-year-old man was shot to death in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

Damien Cionzynski got into a fight with two other males inside a business about 5:15 a.m. in the 6300 block of West Montrose, according to police and the medical examiner's office.

Cionzynski was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. He lived in the 4400 block of North Nashville Avenue in Harwood Heights.

A few hours earlier, 15-year-old Veronica Lopez was passenger in a vehicle with a 28-year-old man in the 2400 block of North Lake Shore Drive when a black Nissan pulled alongside them and someone inside opened fire about 1:30 a.m., authorities said.

They drove to Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, and the girl was later transferred to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 2:59 a.m., authorities said. She lived in the 5100 block of West Fullerton.

The man was shot in the arm and suffered a graze wound to the head, police said. His condition had stabilized.

Late Friday, a 25-year-old man was shot to death in the Ashburn neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

Just before 11 p.m., Mark Lindsey was sitting in a vehicle parked near his home in the 3700 block of West 75th Place when a gunman walked up and shot him repeatedly across the chest and body, authorities said. Lindsey tried to drive away, but crashed into another vehicle on the block.

He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead at 11:34 p.m., authorities said.

The latest nonfatal shooting happened Sunday afternoon in the South Side Auburn Gresham neighborhood.

A 23-year-old man was shot in the right thigh at 4:04 p.m. in the 1200 block of West 85th Street, police said. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in unknown condition.

A man was shot earlier in the afternoon in the West Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side. The 24-year-old was shot by someone he knew during an argument about 12:35 p.m. in the 11500 block of South Peoria, police said. He was struck in the right thigh and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where his condition stabilized.

About 35 minutes earlier, another man was in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. The 20-year-old was standing in the 8500 block of South Ashland about noon when he heard gunfire and realized he'd been shot in the arm. He took himself to Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Center in Evergreen Park, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

At least 35 other people were wounded in shootings across Chicago since 9:25 p.m. Friday.

Last year, 12 people were killed and another 43 wounded in shootings across Chicago over Memorial Day weekend.