6 dead, 18 wounded in Chicago weekend shootings

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Weekend shootings across Chicago left six people dead — including a 15-year-old boy who was shot while delivering newspapers with his stepfather — and 18 more wounded from Friday afternoon to early Monday.

The teenage boy, identified as Brian Jasso from the Chicago Lawn neighborhood, and his stepfather were delivering newspapers about 6:50 a.m. in the 5100 block of West 47th when someone in a white van rammed their 2000 Honda CRV from behind, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The boy’s stepfather tried to speed away, but the van drove alongside them and someone inside opened fire into their SUV. The boy was struck in the head and pronounced dead at the scene. The stepfather was not injured.

CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said a motive for the shooting was not immediately apparent, and investigators were trying to determine whether the shooting was a case of mistaken identity in an ongoing gang conflict in the area. Investigators were also exploring whether the crash and shooting could have been an attempted carjacking.

The most recent fatal shooting took the life of a 29-year-old man on the Northwest Side. Jermin Beganovic was shot in the head about 4:15 p.m. in the 5300 block of North Cumberland, authorities said. Beganovic, who lived in the same block as the shooting, was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:33 p.m. Details on the circumstances of the shooting were unknown.

Earlier Sunday, a 33-year-old man was found shot to death after exchanging gunfire with a group of people in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. At 1:54 a.m., Tyrell Smith was parking his vehicle in a garage in the 4000 block of West Iowa when a group of people blocked him in and fired shots, authorities said. Smith, a concealed carry permit holder, returned fire, but was later found outside of his vehicle with a gunshot wound to his head. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:12 a.m. He lived in the same block as the shooting. A gun was recovered at the scene.

On Saturday night, a man and woman were killed and another man was critically wounded in a shooting in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on the Southwest Side. About 9:40 p.m., they were traveling south in a four-door sedan in the 5900 block of South Richmond when someone fired shots from the sidewalk, authorities said. The 25-year-old man and 21-year-old woman who were shot were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not been released. The other man, age 20, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds to his arms and legs.

About five hours earlier, a 20-year-old woman was killed and an 18-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the South Side Englewood neighborhood. They were sitting in a vehicle about 3:40 p.m. in the 5600 block of South Emerald when someone in a passing dark-colored Audi fired shots, authorities said. The woman was shot in her body and pronounced dead at the scene at 4:15 p.m. Her identity hasn’t been released. The man suffered a gunshot wound to his leg and showed up at St. Bernard Hospital, where his condition stabilized.

The most recent nonfatal shooting happened at 12:16 a.m. Monday in the West Side Humboldt Park neighborhood. Two men, ages 19 and 23, were walking on a sidewalk in the 3200 block of West Hirsch when someone in a vehicle fired shots. The younger man was shot in his left foot and right leg, while the older man suffered gunshot wounds to both legs. They were both taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where their conditions stabilized.

At least 14 more people were wounded in shootings since Friday evening.

Last weekend, five men were killed and at least 14 other people were wounded in shootings across Chicago between Friday evening and Monday morning.