2 Dead, 2 Wounded In Drive-By Shooting On Far South Side
UPDATED 09/25/12 11:18 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two people are dead, and two others are wounded, after a drive-by shooting in the West Pullman neighborhood early Tuesday.
As CBS 2's Susanna Song reports, the shooting happened at 2:37 a.m. Tuesday in the 400 block of West 120th Street, at Eggleston Avenue, right outside the Prayer Warriors Baptist Church.
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Police say a dark Chevrolet sport-utility vehicle rolled by, and the gunman opened fire.
Community activist Andrew Holmes said some of the victims were sitting, and others were gathered, but they were minding their own business.
"It wasn't gang-related," Holmes said. "The SUV drove up, and discharged multiple bullets."
Killed were Quiltavia Patterson, 25, who was sitting in a car during the drive-by shooting, and Jermaine Carter, 38, who was about to enter his home.
Carter was described by his family as a devoted husband and father, and a talented tattoo artist who went by the nickname "Face." Just before he was shot and killed, he had warned some people in a parked car to go home because it was unsafe to be parked in the area in the middle of the night.
"They were sleeping in the car for like two days, and he was saying that you know, you all need to find a place to sleep; to find some shelter. And he told them how bad it is," said Carter's wife, Valerie Simms-Carter.
Simms-Carter was inconsolable as she talked about discovering her husband lying there after being shot.
"I was in my room, yes, and when I ran out into the hallway, I saw him laying on the ground," sobbed Carter's wife, Valerie Simms-Carter.
Simms-Carter said her husband loved their children – a 13-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy.
"He had a heart – a big heart," she said.
Patterson had just moved to Springfield with her 3-year-old twins to get away from all the violence. She was back in Chicago visiting her family.
"Just a good friend and a daughter to me, and I don't know what I'm going to do without her, and what her children are going to do without her," said Quiltavia Patterson's mother, Cynthia Patterson.
Quiltavia Patterson, an aspiring rap artist, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in health administration.
Her sister, Shantavia King, said Patterson moved to Springfield to protect her 3-year-old twins.
"A better life; to better herself for her kids," King said. "Chicago is just getting reckless, and it's horrible, and she didn't feel like she could get into Chicago. Whoever did this, they need to be brought to justice."
Patterson's family said they didn't know why she was inside the car or what she was up to.
Patterson was pronounced dead on the scene, while Carter was pronounced a short time later at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
A 30-year-old woman was also taken to Advocate Christ, and a 22-year-old woman was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, fire officials told the Sun-Times Media Wire. All were listed in serious condition.
Fire officials say a 20-year-old woman was also taken in stable condition to Advocate Trinity Hospital after the shooting, reportedly after suffering from shock or anxiety.
Area South detectives are investigating, while Holmes has put up $1,000 reward to find the shooter.
