Killing Near Red Line Station Continues Violence From Chicago's Bloody Easter Weekend

CHICAGO, IL — A suspect is in custody after a 33-year-old man was fatally shot early Monday morning during an argument that started at a South Side Red Line station, according to Chicago police. The shooting continued the Easter holiday violence in the city that saw 45 people shot, making it one of the bloodiest weekends this year.

According to Chief of Detectives Melissa Staples, the killing Monday happened just before 3 a.m. near the Garfield Red Line Station, 220 W. Garfield Blvd., in the Washington Park neighborhood. Before the shooting, two men were arguing on a station platform when CTA employees asked them to leave, Staples said during a Monday news conference. They left the station but continued arguing outside.

SIGN UP: Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Hyde Park and Chicago — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.

In security camera video of the incident, the accused killer is seen pulling a gun on the 33-year-old man outside the station and chasing him across the street, Staples said. The suspect then shot the victim, she added. The man was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Within about two minutes of the shooting, 9th District officers saw a man matching the description of the suspected shooter, which was given in a police alert on the shooting, Staples said. The suspect was apprehended, and a weapon was recovered, she added. Currently, detectives are reviewing security camera video and talking to witnesses about the incident.

No charges have been filed, and Staples would not give details about the suspect in custody or identify the victim. Investigators didn't know yet if the men had a previous relationship before the argument, she said.

Despite the shooting, Chief of Patrol Fred Waller said CTA passengers should feel safe riding the train. The Chicago Police Department, however, is stepping up patrols in the wake of Chicago's Easter weekend violence, he said. Over the weekend, 45 people were shot, and two of those shootings were fatal, according to the Tribune. Only New Year's weekend, which saw 55 shootings, was more violent this year, the report stated. Overall, Chicago is still seeing a decrease in shootings and killings compared to this same time last year, the report added.

"While we've seen some promising progress by utilizing technolgy and predictive policing in certain districts and neighborhoods, it's clear that we have a lot of work to do," Waller said at Monday's news conference.

So far, only one arrest has been made in connection with any of the weekend shootings. Here's a snapshot of the violence from some of the other incidents over the Easter holiday, according to the Tribune:

• A man was fatally shot in the head and back in an incident in the Douglas Park neighborhood. A 19-year-old man also was wounded in the hand in that shooting.
• A 23-year-old man was driven by a good Samaritan to Mount Sinai Hospital after the victim was shot in the lower back when a gray car drove by and opened fire in the Lawndale neighborhood.
• A 16-year-old boy was found shot in the upper leg by police in Homan Square.
• An 18-year-old man was shot in both legs when a gray sedan pulled up next to him while he was driving in the Englewood neighborhood.
• A 40-year-old woman was with a group of friends in the West Garfield neighborhood when she was seriously wounded after being shot in the stomach
• A 20-year-man was shot in the buttocks while walking in the West Garfield neighborhood.
• A shooter walked up to a 24-year-old man in the Englewood neighborhood and opened fired, wounding the victim in the thigh.

More via the Chicago Tribune

photo via Shutterstock

Like What You're Reading? Stay Patched In!

• Like our Crime page on Facebook
• Check out the Events Calendar for what’s going on