Teen Charged With Murder In Fatal West Town Shooting
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A 17-year-old has been charged with murder for allegedly crashing into and then fatally shooting a Chicago White Sox vendor last month in the West Town neighborhood.
The teen, whose name was not released because of his age, was charged with one count of first-degree murder for the April 19 shooting that killed 19-year-old Nicholas Ramirez, authorities said. He is expected to appear for a bond hearing Wednesday.
Ramirez, of the 3900 block of South Rockwell Street, was found unresponsive about 2:30 a.m. inside a vehicle in the 1600 block of West Hubbard Street, police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said.
Ramirez was at a stop light when the suspect accelerated his vehicle into Ramirez's vehicle, authorities said. The suspect then got out of his car and shot the 19-year-old, police claim.
At the time, police said the two vehicles involved had been in a southbound chase on Ashland Avenue.
The vehicle driven by the victim eventually hit two other vehicles in the 1600 block of West Hubbard before crashing into a concrete median.
An autopsy found Ramirez died of multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said.
An unoccupied vehicle that may have been involved in the chase was later found in an alley in the 1400 block of West Grand Avenue, police said.
Ramirez, a Chicago White Sox vendor, loved baseball and hoped to be an emergency medical technician, relatives told Homicide Watch Chicago.
His uncle, Oscar Mendoza, described him as a "warmhearted" young man who "treated people well."
"He was easygoing and always laughed things off," Mendoza said. "People were drawn to his happiness."
Police said the shooting could be gang related, but family members said Ramirez was not involved in any gang activity. Ramirez had no felony convictions but was sentenced to 10 hours of community service for drinking on the public way in April 2013, according to court records.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)