Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Man Dies After Being Found Shot in Chatham Gangway

By Josh McGhee | November 14, 2013 1:09pm | Updated on November 14, 2013 8:13pm
 Michael Walker, 35, was found shot in a Chatham gangway Thursday morning, police said. He later died.
Michael Walker, 35, was found shot in a Chatham gangway Thursday morning, police said. He later died.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo files/Erica Demarest

CHATHAM — A man was found shot in a Chatham gangway Thursday morning.

Police found the man in the 8200 block of South Drexel Boulevard in Chatham around 8:45 a.m., said Officer Michael Sullivan, a police spokesman.

He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Sullivan said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Michael Walker, 35, of the 8114 block of South Ingleside Avenue.

Rahsaan Cooley, 39, said he heard six shots this morning, something he's becoming accustomed to after a spate of shootings nearby.

Cooley, who lives across the street from where the man was found, waited a few minutes before looking out the window and discovering the man.

"I couldn't tell you who he is because I've never seen him around here," he said. "It kind of freaked me out. It was heartbreaking because it was so close to home and I have small kids.

"They were trying to jump in the window and see what's going on," Cooley said. "It's right in front of my house. I'm just glad I was home to keep them from seeing."

Cooley works maintenance across the street from his home a few feet from where the body was found. He said he had to wait hours for police to clear the scene to begin his job. He believed that violence in the neighborhood has gone way to far.

"It's sad. I'm not sure why they go to these depths, killing a man. That's a life you'll never get back," Cooley said.

A woman who declined to give her name said the block has become so violent she was forced to move out. She pointed to a stairwell in the 8200 block of South Drexel Boulevard and said her husband was shot there a few years back.

"They killed the love of my life in this gangway," she said rolling up the sleeve of her purple jacket and revealing a tattoo with his name written in cursive.

She then pointed to the intersection of 82nd Street and Drexel where she said another friend, Anthony Williamson, was murdered this October. She believed that cops parking in the residential area could prevent some of the violence in the neighborhood.

"This area is ridiculous; it's just like the 1800s. This is why I moved off this block," she said.