Waukegan Talk

Cops seek suspects in Waukegan park shooting
March 23, 2009 11:08 AM | No Comments

Police said today they are searching for three male suspects who witnesses saw firing handguns towards the basketball courts at a Waukegan park Sunday afternoon, striking a 15-year-old North Chicago boy in the back of the neck.

The shooting occurred about 3:40 p.m. at Woodard Park, 701 S. Victory St.

Witnesses told police that after shooting their guns from the north side of May Street, the suspects fled north through yards and into an awaiting vehicle, Waukegan Police Comdr. Wayne Walles said.

The victim was taken to Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan and later flown to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where he remains in critical condition today, Walles said.

The shooting appears to be gang related, Walles said.

-- Ruth Fuller

Hmmm...they talked about our youth using the parks more at the debate. And how as kids we used to play in the streets and parks. Now it just doesn't seem possible with things like this going on. We know someone who went to the park by Belvidere and Lewis -they got chased by two pit bulls. One child got bit on the ankle. The 'youth' who had the dogs were laughing. The police were called but the 'youths' were long gone.

Youth critical after shooting in park
Witnesses said three armed men fired at basketball courts


March 24, 2009
News-Sun Staff Report

WAUKEGAN -- An apparent gang-related shooting Sunday at Bob Woodard Park left a 15-year-old North Chicago youth in critical condition.

Police were called to investigate shots fired at the park at 905 May Street around 3:40 p.m. They found the youth face down with a bullet wound to the back of the neck near the basketball court in Bob Woodard Park.

Numerous witnesses said three men were observed at the north end of the park and all three fired handguns at the basketball courts where several people were gathered. The three then fled north through some yards and into a waiting vehicle. Police recovered a number of shell casings.

The victim was taken to Vista Medical Center East, Waukegan, and then was flown to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, where he was in critical condition Monday, said Waukegan Police Cmdr. Wayne Wallis.

Wallis said the shooting appears to be gang-related.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Waukegan Police Department at (847) 599-2947.

Where exactly is Woodard Park? Read what the girl has to say about the new increased gang presence. Again, they talked about our wonderful parks at the mayor's debate but with this going on we can't even use them. Which gang wears red and black again? This young boy just died. Prayers for the family. How senseless.


Quebrado

Tragic, senseless loss of life'
North Chicago teen dies days after shooting in Waukegan park

March 27, 2009
BY KENDRICK MARSHALL <!-- e --><a href="mailto:kmarshall@scn1.com">kmarshall@scn1.com</a><!-- e -->

WAUKEGAN -- The teenager who was shot Sunday in Bob Woodard Park has died of his injuries, authorities said.

Jonathan Quebrado, 15, of the 1800 block of Lincoln Street, North Chicago, was pronounced dead shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday, at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said.
» Click to enlarge image
Gabriela Vargas, 18, of Waukegan, who lives near Woodard Park, talks about gang activity there as Angel Seura, 18, looks on.
(Thomas Delany, Jr./News-Sun)

» Click to enlarge image
Quebrado

Quebrado's mother said Thursday her son loved to play basketball and never was a trouble maker.

"Jonathan was never in trouble. He loved to go to church and play with his friends," said Alma Quebrado, who has three other children. "I am going to miss him so much."

Lucy Garcia, the teen's aunt, said she does not have a clue why someone would have felt the need to shoot him.

"He was never in a gang or anything like that. I have known him all his life, and it hurts that someone did this to him."

Waukegan police were called to the park at 905 May St. around 3:40 p.m. Sunday and found Quebrado face down near the basketball court with a bullet wound to the back of the neck.

Witnesses at the scene said they saw three men wearing masks near the north end of the park firing handguns into a crowd of people before fleeing the area in a vehicle.

Gabriela Vargas, 18, who lives only a few feet from where Quebrado was shot, said her father heard about 10 gunshots near the park.

Vargas said that in recent weeks she and her family have noticed what a new gang presence near the park -- more than a dozen people dressed in red-and-black clothing.

"My father now tells me to be careful when I come home from school," she said.

Police said that while Quebrado was not in a gang, he was with known gang members when he was shot.

North Chicago High School Principal Daniel McDermott said it was a "tragic, senseless loss of life." He had known Quebrado since he was a student at Neal Math and Science Academy.

"Jonathan was an excellent and well-behaved person," McDermott said. "He was just a joy to work with."

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Fedup, Woodard Park is where Jackson School once stood. It is south of Belvidere and north of 9th Street on Jackson Street, May Street and I don't remember the name of the street on the east side of the park and I think houses and St. Bart's are immediately to the south of the park. I haven't been down that way in a very long time so I could be wrong.

This is such a tragedy and can't imagine what the family is going through.

Don't really know much about gang colors, but I thought it was stated somewhere that it was Latinos shooting. No matter what colors or who did it, you are so right about this being senseless.

It's a shame...another innocent child killed. My prayers go out to his family and friends.

Those are the colors of "Black-tino's". Maybe they were aiming at one of the gang members and this poor child was shot in error. It just breaks my heart. And like you said, regardless of the race or gender---gangs are no good. I can't believe that some parents are not aware that their child is in a gang, especially if they wear the SAME COLORS all the time. BULL! (The reason I know about the color is because a friend of mine's grandson wears those colors, and she is black)

I was told from a kid who lives right across the street from the park, and knows this child that the GD's were after his older brother, a Latin King. They couldn't find the older brother so they were just going to "put one in the younger brother as a warning".

nowinvolved Wrote:I was told from a kid who lives right across the street from the park, and knows this child that the GD's were after his older brother, a Latin King. They couldn't find the older brother so they were just going to "put one in the younger brother as a warning".

I naively ask -a warning for what?? Reading your post scares the heck out of me, any parent, anyone living here... I can't even wrap my mind around the mindset of something so cold. I just looked into this and some towns are really suffering from Black and Latino gangs fighting it out. When the LK's revenge this death will an innocent bystander get hurt?

Black and Latino Gang Feud Turning California Town into War Zone
January 30th, 2008

Monrovia is a small city nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. 26 miles from the mean streets of Los Angeles, the town with a population of less than 40,000 is, on paper, hardly the kind place to wracked by gang violence. Such quaint notions have been dispelled for many as a teen girl was murdered and another wounded in apparent retaliation for Latino hate crimes against Blacks. Detectives are now warning parents that their children, gang members and non-gang members alike, are in danger of being the victims of an escalating cycle of violence: MONROVIA - Detectives warned parents of teens Monday to be on high alert after two 16-year-old girls were shot, one fatally, in the latest round of escalating black-versus-Latino gang violence.

“This concerns me a great deal,” said Lt. Dan Rosenberg of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau. “Parents in the area should know there is an ongoing gang feud. If their teens are at a party, make sure they stay inside the house, or that they at least stay in the back yard.

“As we know with most of these gang shootings, the majority of the victims were usually shot while standing in the front of the home,” he said. “It is important for the readers to be on alert.”

Has anyone been to chicagogangs.org? It has a lot of information. When you google this subject it's startling. And to see what the 'youths' are saying on sites like myspace. hock:

Here are clubs we don't need our 'youths' to join: Updated 11/26/08

Waukegan
Latin Kings
8th & Jackson – “ Walk Town ” or “8st LKs”
12th & Washington Park – “Duplex LKs”
Belvidere & Lincoln – “ Belvidere LKs”
Satan Disciples
Yeoman Park
Oakdale Park
Insane Unknowns
Lincoln & May – “Ghost Town”
Renegade Disciples
Spanish Gangster Disciples
County & Franklin - "D Town"
Surenos 13
Maniac Latin Disciples
South Park & Waters " Death Valley "
Vice Lords
Gangster Disciples
Four Corner Hustlers
Latin Lovers
Orchestra Albany
Garden Pl. & Pine " Brown Town "
Black Disciples
Blue Fin Black Disciples
Conservative Vice Lords
City Knights
St. James & Washington
Black P. Stones
Lewis Ave & Sunset Ave – “The Set”

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