Tag Archives: death

Who inherits a selfie? States seek to fill privacy law gaps

(SPRINGFIELD) States are passing laws dealing with how to release information from online accounts to relatives when people die.

Google, Facebook and other companies have said a federal privacy law approved decades before digital storage became common prevents them from releasing electronic memories or records unless the account owner grants permission.

This year, Illinois was one of 19 states that passed similar laws to clarify what internet companies can release after someone dies and when information should remain inaccessible.

Even with the new laws, people must be proactive in specifying whom they want to inherit their accounts. At a minimum, companies will release basic information from a user unless they express otherwise, such as the person’s email contact list to help find friends or gather an inventory of a person’s assets.

 

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Police: 13 killed, 52 wounded in Labor Day weekend shootings

(CHICAGO) Thirteen people were killed and at least 52 others, including a pregnant woman, were wounded in shootings across Chicago over Labor Day weekend, according to Chicago Police.

The latest homicide happened about 10:45 p.m. Monday in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side. A group was standing on the sidewalk in the 2700 block of West Lexington when someone in a silver minivan opened fire, police said. A 22-year-old man was shot in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Another 22-year-old man suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and thigh and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was also pronounced dead.

Three other people were also shot and taken to Mount Sinai, police said. A 16-year-old boy was shot in the chest and listed in critical condition; a 17-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was seriously wounded; and a 20-year-old man was shot in the right arm and buttocks and was also listed in serious condition.

Earlier Monday evening, two men were killed in a shooting near Ogden Park in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. About 7:15 p.m., a 47-year-old man was walking his dog in the 1200 block of West Marquette when someone in a vehicle started shooting, striking him in the chest, police said. The shots also struck a 24-year-old man in the chest as he ran away from the gunfire. Both men were taken to Stroger Hospital, where they later died, police said. It was unclear if either of the victims were intended targets.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office did not immediately confirm those fatalities early Tuesday.

About 30 minutes earlier in the same neighborhood, a light-colored car pulled up to a man in the 900 block of West 58th Street about 6:45 p.m., and someone inside it shot him in the back. The man, thought to be between 18 and 25, was taken to St. Bernard Hospital, where he later died, police said. Authorities have not released his name.

About 4 p.m. in Back of the Yards on the South Side, Albertano Medrano was driving in the 4500 block of South Hermitage when three people in a white van began to harass him, authorities said. Medrano kept driving away, and one of the passengers in the white van opened fire, striking him in the head, neck and back. His vehicle then crashed into three other vehicles after he was shot. Medrano, who lived in the 1800 block of West 46th Street, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:30 p.m., police and the medical examiner’s office said.

Hours earlier in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side, the roommates of a 22-year-old Enrique D. Morales found him dead about 1:30 p.m. on their driveway in the 4500 block of South Whipple, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. Morales was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:45 p.m. Area Central detectives were conducting a homicide investigation.

Monday morning, a man was killed and another wounded in more Englewood violence. David Baldwin, 24, was shot in the head about 9:30 a.m. in the 6800 block of South Emerald and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died at 2:58 p.m., authorities said. He lived in the 1100 block of West 67th Street. Another man, 26, was shot in the thigh and grazed across the face. His condition was stabilized at Stroger Hospital, but he was uncooperative with investigators, police said.

About 6:20 a.m. in the South Shore neighborhood, someone walked up to an 80-year-old man in the 2800 block of East 77th Place, exchanged words with the elderly man and then shot him in the face. He died at the scene, according to police, who said the shooter was arrested with charges pending Monday night. The 80-year-old man’s name has not been released.

Late Sunday in the same neighborhood, two gunmen walked up to a 17-year-old boy about 10:30 p.m. in the 7800 block of South Cornell and shot him in the back. The teen was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he later died, police said. His name has not been released.

Just after 6 p.m. Sunday, officers responding to a call of more Back of the Yards neighborhood gunfire in the 5200 block of South Sangamon found a 19-year-old man shot multiple times. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. His name has not been released.

Less than an hour earlier, a 45-year-old man was killed and a 27-year-old wounded in another Englewood shooting. Robert L. Porter Jr. and the younger man were unloading boxes in an alley in the 6700 block of South Green when someone dressed in black walked up and fired shots, authorities said. Porter, of the 7300 block of South Green, was shot across the torso and chest and taken to Christ Medical Center, where he died at 6:02 p.m. The other man was taken to the same hospital in serious condition with wounds to the chest, back and wrist, police said.

The holiday weekend’s first fatal shooting happened early Sunday in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Juan Pita-Rosas, 32, was standing in an alley with a 22-year-old man shortly after midnight in the 4800 block of South Kildare when they heard gunfire and both felt pain, authorities said. Pita-Rosas, who lived in the 4700 block of South Springfield, was shot in the head and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:05 a.m. The younger man suffered gunshot wounds to the arm and chest and later showed up at Holy Cross Hospital in serious condition.

The latest nonfatal attack happened about 3 a.m. Tuesday in the West Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. A 20-year-old man was walking down the street in the 6300 block of South Winchester when he heard gunshots and realized he’d been struck, police said. He suffered a gunshot wound to the back and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized. A police source said the man is gang affiliated.

About 3:15 p.m., a 23-year-old pregnant woman and 25-year-old man were shot on a porch in the 900 block of West 53rd Street when someone walked up and opened fire, hitting her in the abdomen and him in the back, police said. They were taken to Stroger Hospital, where the woman was listed in serious condition and the man critical. Family members said the woman was due to deliver her first baby boy at the end of September.

At least 43 more people were wounded in shootings across Chicago between 9 p.m. Friday and 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. Last year, 54 people were shot—8 fatally—over Labor Day weekend.

Body found near Metra tracks by Bloomingdale Trail

(CHICAGO) A body of a man discovered near Metra tracks on Tuesday near the Bloomingdale Trail on the Northwest side was struck by a train, according to authorities.

A body was first reported by Metra dispatchers at 6:40 a.m. nearby the Bloomindale Trail Western Garden Trailhead in the 1800 block of North Lawndale Avenue, according to Metra and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

He was identified as 45-year-old Jesse Stevenson of the 1100 block of North Springfield, according to the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy Wednesday ruled he died of multiple blunt force injuries after being struck by a train. His death was ruled a suicide.

Metra trains on the Milwaukee District West, Milwaukee District North and North Central lines all use the tracks, as well as freight trains on the Canadian Pacific Railway, Metra said.

Video footage from trains reviewed by Metra police shows the body along the tracks as early as 12:30 a.m., according to Metra. However, investigators have found no evidence that Stevenson was struck by a Metra train.

Metra police are continuing to investigate.

 

Body found in Orland Park

(ORLAND PARK) A body was found Monday morning in southwest suburban Orland Park.

The body of a woman in her 30s was discovered in the parking lot of a forest preserve near 104th Avenue and Eagle Ridge Drive in Orland Park, according to Cook County sheriff’s spokeswoman Sophia Ansari.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed the death, but she has not been identified as of Monday afternoon.

There does not appear to be foul play, Ansari said.

Cook County sheriff’s police are conducting a death investigation.

© Copyright 2016 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

Three Lake County Corrections Officers fired after inmate’s death

(CHICAGO) The terminations of three Lake County Corrections Officers for their involvement in an inmate’s 2012 death have been upheld.

The terminations of Corrections Officers Rodney Holmes, Robert Schlesser and Lilia Cruz were upheld by an arbitrator Aug. 4, according to a statement from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The demotion of Corrections Sergeant Lance Ware was also upheld.

On Oct. 31, 2011, inmate Eugene Gruber suffered a broken neck while struggling with the four officers as he was arriving at the jail, the sheriff’s office said. He died March 3, 2012.

In addition to being terminated, Holmes and Schlesser were criminally charged with official misconduct, the sheriff’s office said. Holmes was found not guilty following a bench trial, and Schlesser died before his case went to trial.

According to the sheriff’s office a complete audit was conducted and rewrite of all jail policies since the incident. No further details were provided regarding policy changes, but the changes made were accredited by the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

“Inmates have the right to be treated fairly and humanely while in custody at the Lake County Jail and I, as your Sheriff, will stand for nothing less,” Sheriff Curran said in the statement.

© Copyright 2016 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

Former U.S. Congressman Gus Savage dead at 90

Rep. Gus Savage (D.-III) hugs Marlene C. Carter. in the 1980s
Rep. Gus Savage (D.-III) hugs Marlene C. Carter. in the 1980s
(CHICAGO) Newspaper founder turned former United States Congressman Gus Savage — whose political career was marred with controversy — died Saturday at the age of 90, his family confirmed.Savage served the troubled 2nd Congressional District from 1981 to 1993, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

Savage celebrated his 90th birthday on Friday night with his family but was found unresponsive in his son’s home in Olympia Fields on Saturday morning, his family said in a statement.

Savage was born on Oct. 30, 1925 in Detroit but moved to the South Side of Chicago as a child. He was raised in poverty and that drove him to become a voice for minorities and the disadvantaged in Chicago, his family said.

In 1965, he founded the Citizen Newspapers, which became the largest black owned chain of weekly community newspapers in the Midwest. His family owned the newspaper company until 1980.

“He never wavered in the fight, for fairness and justice, no matter the foe or the arena. His decisions in the political arena was always, always guided and based on principle,” his former chief of staff Louanner Peters said in a statement. Peters went on to become the deputy governor of Illinois in 2006, becoming the first African-American woman to hold the position.

On Capitol Hill, Savage was known for his criticism of the Reagan administration policies, including increased defense spending and cutbacks in social programs. His legislative proposals called for a $209 million federal building in Chicago and a public-works program.

Savage gained headlines in 1993 on election night after his defeat, blaming the “white racist press and the racist, reactionary Jewish misleaders” for his loss and comparing himself to the martyred Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“I had no illusions African Americans would be liberated through Congress,” he said at the time, portraying his defeat as a setback for the civil rights movement and himself as a tragic hero.

Savage’s political career was marred by controversy: he missed more votes than any other congressman in 1981, in part due to his wife’s illness and death. He also became entwined in controversy for filing incomplete disclosure statements with the Federal Election Commission.

In 1992, Savage–two years after a House ethics committee determined that during an official trip to Africa, Savage had made improper sexual advances to a female Peace Corps volunteer–he was unseated by Mel Reynolds for the 2nd Congressional District, who went on to see his political career derailed by a conviction for bank fraud and sexual misconduct.

Jesse Jackson Jr. then replaced Reynolds. The younger Jackson spent 30 months in prison for spending $750,000 from his campaign on personal items.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. on Saturday called Savage a “brilliant writer and social activist.”

He said Savage was a classmate and very close to friend to former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington. He called him skilled in the field of social organizing.

“He was a meaningful force for social justice in Chicago,” Jackson Sr. said.

“He was among the top leaders of social consciousness,” Jackson said, recalling his calls against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

“He emerged on the right side of history in his opposition of the war,” Jackson Sr. said. “He didn’t just follow opinion polls. He had to mold his own opinions at a time when people were just following others. Gus was a change agent.”

Chicago publisher Hermene Hartman also mentioned Savage’s passing on Facebook on Saturday: “He was one of the first people to tell me I could write and published one of my papers in the NAACP Magazine,” Hartman, publisher of N’DIGO, wrote.

“He was a maverick, controversial and quite a guy. He served the Black community without pretense. He had just moved from Washington back to Chicago. Much love Gus. Thanks for your wonderful life.”

Savage is survived by his son Thomas and his wife Judge Drella Savage, his daughter Dr. Emma Savage-David, and three grandchildren.

Police: Man fatally struck by CTA bus in Canaryville

A man was struck and killed by a CTA bus in the Canaryville neighborhood on the South Side Monday night, police said.

About 9:06 p.m., the 62-year-old was in the 4300 block of South Halsted when he “possibly tripped off the sidewalk” and was hit by a CTA bus traveling north, said police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines.

The man was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Gaines added. The Cook County medical examiner’s office could not confirm the death Monday night.

The police Major Accidents Investigations Unit is handling the case, Gaines said.

Body found in Des Plaines River identified as missing Joliet man

(JOLIET) A dead body recovered from the Des Plaines River last week was identified as a 19-year-old man who had been missing for five days in southwest suburban Joliet.

Lonnie R. Jones, of Joliet, was found in the Des Plaines River in the 700 block of Railroad Street on April 18, according to Joliet police and the Will County coroner’s office. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:15 p.m.

That day, fire crews doing a routine river-dragging training exercise found the body about 4 p.m. in the boat launch of the river, authorities said.

Jones was reported missing on April 13, the coroner’s office said. The body was identified on Tuesday using dental records, and his death was preliminarily ruled a drowning.

A final cause of death will be determined following toxicology tests and a police investigation, the coroner’s office said.

At the time of the incident, police said they thought the body might have been of a man who threatened to jump in an April 10 suicide attempt from the Cass Street Bridge, about 2 miles upstream of where the body was found.

Police could not be reached early Friday for comment.

Autopsy: South Holland nursing home resident died of natural causes

(SOUTH HOLLAND) One of three residents of a south suburban nursing home who died after several residents fell ill in February died of natural causes, authorities said Monday. The death of another patient was previously ruled a homicide.

Leon Krynicki, 98, was one of six patients at Holland Home in South Holland who were taken to hospitals on Feb. 3, the Chicago Sun-Times reported previously.

He was taken to Providence Hospice in Tinley Park where he died March 9, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

The death of one of the other patients who died following the incident was previously ruled a homicide, authorities said. Dorothy Byrd, 98, died of morphine and hydrocodone toxicity.

An initial autopsy at the time was inconclusive, but tests have since determined Krynicki died of cardiomyopathy due to heart disease, said Frank Shuftan, a spokesman for the medical examiner’s office.

Dementia and chronic renal disease were listed as contributing factors, and his death was ruled natural, he said.

“The incident of 2/3/15 may represent an episode of overmedication after which Mr. Krynicki returned to his baseline condition,” Shuftan said in an email Monday. “This being the case, it did not contribute to death.”

A third patient, 88-year-old Robert Rundin, was taken to Saint Margaret’s Hospital in Dyer, Ind., where he died March 7, the Lake County (Ind.) coroner’s office said.

Coroner’s office officials said in early March that full autopsy results for Rundin were not expected for another four months because of further testing.

Officials with Villa Healthcare, which operates Holland home, said after the incident they are fully cooperating with the investigation.

South Holland police did not immediately respond to a message Monday evening seeking comment on the ongoing investigation.

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved.