Couple found dead in apartment near Gage Park sports bar where man attacked server with knife

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There are a lot of moving parts to the investigation, but police sources told ABC7 two incidents that happened in Gage Park on Sunday night are related.

And according to family, the person in custody right now is related to one of the two people killed. Ald. Jeylu Gutierrez, who represents the 14th Ward, said in a statement that the situation surrounds a "personal dispute" involving two brothers and one of their wives.

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It was just after 10 p.m. when police say a 57-year-old man armed with a knife approached another man, 37, outside in the 5300-block of South Kedzie Avenue.

The 37-year-old then entered a nearby sports bar. Police said the 57-year-old suspect followed him in and attacked a woman there.

Witnesses said the woman, who suffered lacerations, is one of the bar's servers. They also say the suspect was armed with a gun.

"I was there, and I just covered myself, and, you know, on the floor, like this. I was hoping for him not to come to me and shoot me," one witness said.

"I don't think it was a specific person. I just think he came in there, just trying to hurt somebody. He was already, like, outraged. I don't know," said TJ, a bar patron.

Police, who were already in the neighborhood, responded to the scene and arrested the man, recovering a gun on the scene, but this is where things get complicated.

Just next door, a man and woman, identified as 63-year-old Richard Romo and 64-year-old Rita Chavez, were found dead.

Romo was shot in the head. Chavez appeared to have been stabbed.

Natalie Guzman, an employee at the smoke shop located within the same building, said the couple had been living there for some time.

"They were just our regular customers. They would always come in. He had a wheelchair. So, I would always come and help him. I knew he was coming. So, I would help him open the door and everything," Guzman said.

And while it is not exactly clear what order things happened in, police scanner traffic indicates a 911 call came from inside the couple's apartment before the incident at the bar, which is, according to Guzman, no stranger to trouble.

"There's always issues at the bar. I used to switch on and off. I used to work in the afternoon as well. And there was always stuff going on in that bar," Guzman said. "The good thing about here is we get to buzz people in. So, we get to choose if we bring you in."

At this point, the couple's family is not speaking publicly. One relative, however, told ABC7 that the person in custody is a family member. Police, however, are not confirming this, saying only that both incidents are still being investigated.

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