Temperatures for Chicago’s second weekend of the new year finally measured in at what are more typically recorded for the city’s cold Winter days, but it did not put much of a damper on the gang warfare that so often breaks out in the streets there. In fact, with seven killed and 22 more wounded, it was a few crimes higher than average for such cold weekends.
One of the first killed occurred at 7:30 PM in the city’s North Center neighborhood when three were shot during an argument at an apartment that is only four blocks from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s home. One of those, a 25-year-old man that police say started the argument and the shooting, was killed during the incident.
But Friday was particularly bloody as three more men were killed across the city including a 37-year-old and two in their twenties.
Eleven more were wounded during the violent Friday night.
The other three deaths over the weekend all occurred on Saturday. But two of those killed were shot by a shopkeeper protecting his life and that of his customers when two armed men made to rob his store.
The two would-be robbers were killed by a quick-acting liquor store clerk in the city’s Gresham neighborhood at about 8:30 PM on Saturday.
Both assailants were teenagers. Pronounced dead at the scene were Keshawn Marzette, 15, William Larson, 17, both from the 8300 block of South Throop Street.
The pair were beating a store clerk when a relative of the store owner heard the commotion from an upstairs room. He came down armed and shot both robbers as they accosted the store clerks.
Police think the two may have robbed several other stores in the area before they made their disastrous decision to rob the Z&S Food & Liquor on West 87th Street.
A photo of the dead robbers was posted to social media and as the the photo spread it brought a crowd to the store. Police reported no unrest, just curiosity on the part of onlookers.
The weekend came to a close with eight more shootings on Sunday, but no further deaths.
Already for 2016 Chicago has experienced a total of 117 shot with 19 of those killed.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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