A man who was fatally shot Friday night in Little Village fought back against gang members who were hanging out in front of his family’s house, according to Chicago police.
The attack, said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) was “incredibly tragic on multiple levels and the type of homicide we can do more to prevent.”
“This is systemic and this has been based on the historic disinvestment in our communities for mental health to housing to violence prevention,” Sigcho-Lopez told the Sun-Times.
Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert about 10:20 p.m. Friday in the 2600 block of West Luther Street and found 61-year-old Jeronimo Lenin with a gunshot wound to his head, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Lenin, who died at Mount Sinai Hospital less than an hour later, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and his death was ruled a homicide, the office said.
Witnesses told detectives Lenin was there due to gang members hanging out in front of his family’s house, according to police reports obtained by the Sun-Times.
Lenin had been fighting with “about 10 gang members” who had beaten him up, but he managed to get away and grab a loaded gun, according to police reports.
As Lenin was “racking” the weapon, at least one gunman fired at him, striking him in his head, according to officials.
The firearm Lenin had was recovered at the scene, authorities said. Two black gloves and a Detroit Tigers hat presumed to belong to the suspects were also recovered.
Sigcho-Lopez added he has been “working diligently with the Mayor’s office to address issues of safety in our community.”
The alderman said he wanted to ensure public institutions were held accountable and referred to the domestic shooting deaths of Karina Gonzalez and her 15-year-old daughter weeks earlier less than two miles from where Lenin was shot and killed.
Gonzalez was granted an order of protection against her husband weeks before the shooting, but he was never served the order and his weapon was never seized despite his firearm owner identification card being revoked.
Sigcho-Lopez has been speaking with 25th Ward residents and walking through more blocks of the ward where crime was higher, he says.
“It is more than just reacting to the problem but preventing these violent incidents from happening,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “I think that we can do more.”
