LF: 6 months, 217 deaths: Chicago Homicide Data

By Tracy Swartz
RedEye

CeaseFire's West Humboldt Park office used to hang a sign showing the number of days since the neighborhood's most recent shooting--fatal or otherwise.

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Joyce Fulgium, 61, was stabbed to death Jan. 2 in Roseland.
Sandra Viramontes, 30, was beaten to death Jan. 10 in Garfield Ridge.
Noor Surani, 49, died in an arson fire Jan. 14 in Rogers Park.
Williams Diaz, 16, was shot to death Jan. 19 in South Lawndale.
Brandon McCain, 17, was shot to death Jan. 23 in Austin.
Ramone Washington, 17, was shot to death Feb. 1 in Humboldt Park.
Maryrosa Green, 44, was shot to death Feb. 2 in Auburn Gresham.
Roger Escalante, 16, was shot to death Feb. 21 in Humboldt Park.
Nathaniel Maxon, 15, was shot to death Feb. 25 in West Garfield Park.
Krystal Zavala, 22, was stabbed to death Feb. 26 in Gage Park.
Jason Perkins, 28, was shot to death March 17 in Chatham.
Steven Lee, 32, was shot to death March 21 in Chatham.
Jarren Lindsey, 16, was shot to death April 1 in Austin.
Reggis Washington, 16, was shot to death April 2 in Greater Grand Crossing.
Regina McGraw, 57, was stabbed to death April 8 in East Garfield Park.
Fasion Robinson, 19, was shot to death April 12 in South Chicago.
Keyshai Fields, 16, was shot to death April 14 in Chicago Lawn.
Keleasha Larry, 3, was shot to death April 14 in Chicago Lawn.
Jerel Love, 21, was shot to death April 18 in North Lawndale.
Twanda Thompson, 19, and Jihan Larry, 7 months, were shot to death April 14 in Chatham.
Cynia Cole, 1, was shot to death April 21 in Chatham.
Narvell Johnson, 30, was shot to death April 26 in Grand Boulevard.
Curtis Green, 23, was shot to death April 30 on the Near West Side.
Carmenda Woodards, 29, was shot to death May 1 in Woodlawn.
Alexander Lopez, 35, was shot to death May 4 on the expressway in Garfield Ridge.
Tranesha Palms, 22, was shot to death May 7 in the Loop.
Anthony Kyser, 35, was strangled to death May 8 in South Lawndale.
Kirk Flowers, 26, was shot to death May 14 in Edgewater.
Lutelda Hudson, 29, was strangled to death May 16 in West Pullman.
Andres Butron, 37, died of asphyxia May 17 in Brighton Park.
Hector Romero, 28, was shot to death May 17 in Brighton Park.
Chicago Police officer Thomas Wortham IV, 30, was shot to death May 19 in Chatham.
Brian Floyd, 20, was shot to death May 19 in Chatham.
Jeremy Baggett, 15, was shot to death June 2 in Humboldt Park.
Jeffrey Pinkerton, 28, was shot to death June 8 in Humboldt Park.
Ludjana Dido, 20, died in a car accident June 12 in Avondale.
Jamar Harris, 1, died from trauma June 26 in South Shore.

But recently, as the shootings increased in frequency, workers for the anti-violence initiative stopped hanging the sign because they didn't want it to add to the neighborhood's bad luck, outreach worker Derrick House said.

From January through June, the Humboldt Park community area saw 17 homicides, all gunshot deaths, the most of any of Chicago's 77 community areas, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found.

Citywide, 217 homicides were recorded for the first half of 2010, up from 204 during the same period in 2009, according to a RedEye analysis. Shootings and stabbings were up slightly compared with the first six months of 2009, and the number of stranglings more than doubled from three in the first half of 2009 to seven in 2010, RedEye determined.

There also was an increase in multiple homicide cases. There was one triple homicide in all of 2009, when three teenagers were shot to death in February in South Chicago. In the first six months of 2010, there were four triple homicides and a shooting in Chicago Lawn in April killed five people.

Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis acknowledged in a June news conference that "homicides continue to challenge" the police department. He blamed gang activity for the weekend of June 18, during which 54 people were shot and eight people were killed.

House blamed a conflict within the Vice Lord gang for a rise in the number of shootings in the neighborhood where he lives and works. Humboldt Park's 17 homicides is an increase from the 10 it recorded in the first six months of 2009.

"It can get worse," House said. "But it can change."

ONLINE HOMICIDE TRACKER

Check out RedEye's interactive homicide map at homicides.redeyechicago.com, which now includes information on every homicide in Chicago since Jan. 1, 2008.

Baltimore City has gotten far worse, I won't go there anymore. 300 murders is now typical for a city losing population so fast I think it's under 600K, haven't heard the recent REAL numbers, not faked with non-existent welfare recipients and illegals. Chicago is much larger.

What's worse Baltimore used to be a safe town, you could walk anywhere. I went down on a Sat morning to look at a truck in one of the worst sections in town, a dead end near Pimlico race course. No problems.