LAKEVIEW — The man charged with robbing and killing 25-year-old Kevin O'Malley in Lakeview this weekend was awaiting trial for threatening police with a machete when the incident occurred, according to court documents.
Kristopher Pitts, 22, was charged with armed robbery and first-degree murder after he allegedly shot O'Malley about 2 a.m. Saturday in the 900 block of West Oakdale Avenue, police said.
He was out on bond at the time.
According to court documents, a woman living in a Humboldt Park apartment building returned home on Feb. 23, 2014 to find him blocking her entrance — with a 2-foot-long machete and a barking German Shepherd. After he refused to let her in, she called police who responded to the scene, according to court records.
When officers arrived, he allegedly threatened to kill them and then released the dog, instructing the animal to attack them, court records show. Officers then used a Taser on Pitts and the animal. He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault to a peace officer and ultimately released on bond.
Pitts' wife Kissandra Gunther told DNAinfo on Monday she never heard her husband threaten to kill officers, and did not release the dog during last year's encounter with officers.
Pitts' case had not yet gone to trial when he allegedly shot and killed O'Malley Saturday.
"This senseless act of violence cannot be ignored. I am pushing for increased police resources to our community, including from area and citywide units, to ensure that our residents and visitors are safe walking on our streets at all hours of the day," said 44th ward Ald. Tom Tunney, in a community email.
Police found O'Malley unresponsive when they arrived on scene. Prosecutors said O'Malley had demanded his wallet and phone back from Pitts after being robbed, which is when the suspect opened fire, the Tribune reports.
In a card left at a memorial under the L tracks where O'Malley was found, friends remember him as a "genuine, generous and kind" person with a "hall of fame smile" who "brought happiness to so many people."
After the shooting, a Lakeview neighbor said he was jumped in the alley O'Malley was killed in two weeks ago.
Other neighbors were shaken up as well.
"I live in this neighborhood because this stuff isn't supposed to happen," one resident said. "Hopefully, people will stop propping the door [to my building] open now."
Tunney's office did not immediately respond to a request for more information on his push for more officers. In April, however, Tunney told DNAinfo Chicago he did not believe the Chicago Police Department would increase the number of officers in the Town Hall district.
Instead, he said he hoped to make sure the district was staffed at critical times, specifically nights and weekends.
"What I've always believed is there are enough police officers, they're just not always there at the time of day you think you need them. But that's a management issue, and I don't walk in their shoes," Tunney said in April.
Some businesses have taken it upon themselves to hire private security officers in recent years. For the fourth year, the Northalsted Business Alliance will have up to 14 officers patrolling the area during holiday weekends and events like Pride Parade.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
