08-25-2010, 10:09 AM
Mom falls to gunfire
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August 25, 2010
By JIM NEWTON <!-- e --><a href="mailto:jnewton@stmedianetwork.com">jnewton@stmedianetwork.com</a><!-- e -->
A 29-year-old Waukegan woman died early Tuesday after being shot while on the porch of a Walnut Street apartment building Monday night.
Amy Williams, who lived in the 2100 block of Lorraine Avenue, was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday at Vista Medical Center East, according to Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller.
Keller said an autopsy showed Williams had been shot in the chest.
A Walnut Street property owner and member of a local Neighborhood Watch group said Williams was a mother of three who may have been caught in the crossfire of a dispute that didn't involve her.
Waukegan police issued a statement that the department received calls about shots fired in the 700 block of Walnut at about 11:40 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found Williams lying on a porch at 722 Walnut. She was taken to Vista, where she died of the gun shot.
Police said Tuesday afternoon that there had been no arrests and that an investigation was ongoing.
Todd Gordon, who owns property on Walnut Street and is an organizer of the annual Walnut Street Festival, said he talked to a cousin of the victim who said she had been visiting at the apartment building when Williams was shot.
Gordon said he was told that the shooting was apparently a retaliation attempt for a non-fatal stabbing that occurred earlier Monday, and that Williams had been standing among several people on the porch when she was shot.
Gordon said he was told Williams was an innocent bystander. Police declined to comment on that information Tuesday afternoon.
In December, Williams and her three children, ages 11 through 5, received gifts from city employees through the Making Christmas Possible program, which provides holiday necessities for families in need.
Wendy Beshel, who organizes the annual effort, said Williams and her family were recommended for the program by the Waukegan Public Schools. She added that she didn't know Williams personally, but recalled giving the family a couch purchased by donations from city employees.
Gordon, a member of the City of Miracles group that is affiliated with Neighborhood Watch, said the shooting was the first homicide in the neighborhood since the late 1990s.
"It's a sad day, both for her family and the whole area," said Gordon, adding that the neighborhood has become safer and cleaner due to a concerted effort by Neighborhood Watch volunteers, landlords, police and city officials.
"I've been fighting for this neighborhood for a long time," Gordon said. "We were getting 1,200-some-odd phone calls (a year) to police, and it went down to 200 something. And then something like this happens."
News-Sun staff writer Dan Moran contributed to this report.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/2633724,5_1_WA25_WSHOT_S1-100825.article">http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... 25.article</a><!-- m -->
August 25, 2010
By JIM NEWTON <!-- e --><a href="mailto:jnewton@stmedianetwork.com">jnewton@stmedianetwork.com</a><!-- e -->
A 29-year-old Waukegan woman died early Tuesday after being shot while on the porch of a Walnut Street apartment building Monday night.
Amy Williams, who lived in the 2100 block of Lorraine Avenue, was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday at Vista Medical Center East, according to Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller.
Keller said an autopsy showed Williams had been shot in the chest.
A Walnut Street property owner and member of a local Neighborhood Watch group said Williams was a mother of three who may have been caught in the crossfire of a dispute that didn't involve her.
Waukegan police issued a statement that the department received calls about shots fired in the 700 block of Walnut at about 11:40 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found Williams lying on a porch at 722 Walnut. She was taken to Vista, where she died of the gun shot.
Police said Tuesday afternoon that there had been no arrests and that an investigation was ongoing.
Todd Gordon, who owns property on Walnut Street and is an organizer of the annual Walnut Street Festival, said he talked to a cousin of the victim who said she had been visiting at the apartment building when Williams was shot.
Gordon said he was told that the shooting was apparently a retaliation attempt for a non-fatal stabbing that occurred earlier Monday, and that Williams had been standing among several people on the porch when she was shot.
Gordon said he was told Williams was an innocent bystander. Police declined to comment on that information Tuesday afternoon.
In December, Williams and her three children, ages 11 through 5, received gifts from city employees through the Making Christmas Possible program, which provides holiday necessities for families in need.
Wendy Beshel, who organizes the annual effort, said Williams and her family were recommended for the program by the Waukegan Public Schools. She added that she didn't know Williams personally, but recalled giving the family a couch purchased by donations from city employees.
Gordon, a member of the City of Miracles group that is affiliated with Neighborhood Watch, said the shooting was the first homicide in the neighborhood since the late 1990s.
"It's a sad day, both for her family and the whole area," said Gordon, adding that the neighborhood has become safer and cleaner due to a concerted effort by Neighborhood Watch volunteers, landlords, police and city officials.
"I've been fighting for this neighborhood for a long time," Gordon said. "We were getting 1,200-some-odd phone calls (a year) to police, and it went down to 200 something. And then something like this happens."
News-Sun staff writer Dan Moran contributed to this report.