Cook County medical examiner's office

A family filed a lawsuit against the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office after Jermaine Richards went unidentified for nearly 2 years. The lawsuit targets the medical examiner's office and Cook County.

Cook County's heat-related death toll has risen to four, with three identified victims and a fourth 69-year-old male in Evanston. All four deaths were linked to health conditions exacerbated by recent extreme heat. Health officials had warned about the dangers of prolonged heat for vulnerable populations.

Three deaths in Chicago were linked to a recent heat wave, with autopsies showing heat stress as a complicating factor in each case. Health officials warned that extreme heat poses risks for individuals with chronic conditions and limited access to air conditioning. The heat wave began on June 29, referencing Chicago's 1995 heat wave that caused 739 deaths.

Murder charges have been filed against Devonta D. Hodge, a 33-year-old DoorDash driver, for fatally shooting Dylan Perkins, a 26-year-old Amazon worker, in an employee parking lot in Matteson. The incident occurred after an argument, and Perkins died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Police have not disclosed a motive.

Four assailants opened fire at a BP station in Auburn Gresham, killing a 53-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man and critically injuring two other women, ages 35 and 33. The attackers fled south on foot through an alley, and Area 2 detectives are investigating.

A food delivery driver is being sought after shooting and killing a 26-year-old Amazon staffer in a parking lot outside an Amazon fulfillment center in Matteson. The incident occurred shortly after midnight, with the driver fleeing the scene after the argument-turned-shooting. No witnesses were present, but a silent camera captured the event.

A crash in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood overnight left a man and a woman dead, according to officials. The incident occurred at 12:30 a.m. in the 4700 block of South State Street, and the names of the 22-year-old woman and 25-year-old man have not been released. The Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating the wreck.

A 22-year-old man was fatally shot in the back in the 700 block of North Lavergne Avenue in Austin around 12:45 a.m. Tuesday. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital but died later, and an autopsy confirmed his death was a homicide. Area 4 detectives are investigating the incident.

A 52-year-old man was killed when a black car collided with his gray SUV during a left turn in Lake View. The 47-year-old driver of the black car was unharmed, and no citations are pending as detectives investigate the crash.

An 18-year-old, Aniyhas Jackson, was fatally shot in an Austin home during overnight violence in Chicago, with at least 10 others injured across multiple incidents. A 17-year-old was arrested at the scene, and additional shootings occurred in neighborhoods including North Lawndale, Grand Boulevard, and Brighton Park.

A 27-year-old man was fatally shot while riding a bicycle in Grant Park, Chicago. He was pronounced dead at Northwestern Hospital after being wounded in the upper leg. Police are investigating but have made no arrests.

Three family members were arrested after a 5-year-old boy, Roson Garret, was found fatally shot in a Riverdale home. The incident occurred in the 13900 block of South State Street, and police confirmed the child was pronounced dead at the scene.

A man was killed in an explosion on I-290 in Westchester last week. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the victim.

A man and woman were found dead in a Bellwood home, with the woman pronounced dead at 2:10 a.m. and the man at 2:28 p.m. Both were taken to Loyola University Medical Center, though details about the incident remain unavailable.

Cook County's South and West sides have the highest rates of infant sleep deaths, with 208 sudden and unexpected infant deaths recorded between 2019 and 2023. A report by Rush University Medical Center and the Cook County medical examiner's office found most deaths occurred in adult beds or on couches, disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic infants. Poverty, crowded housing, and educational disparities are linked to higher death rates.

A 13-year-old boy, Deantwan McKeever, who was shot in South Shore on May 21, died Thursday. He was found with a head injury in a gangway near South Coles Avenue and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police reported a car theft occurred nearby around the same time, and no arrests have been made.

A 25-year-old man on parole for a bank robbery died in a shooting involving an FBI agent in East Garfield Park. The FBI is investigating the incident, and authorities have not disclosed the circumstances leading to the shooting.

A 56-year-old man died after starting a fire in Gage Park that damaged three homes. Firefighters responded to the blaze, which was ruled arson, and over 150 firefighters were deployed due to the spreading flames. The man, Manuel Gallegos, was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center.

Matthew McCullough, 32, from Rogers Park, was found unresponsive in Lake Michigan near Belmont Harbor and pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. An autopsy is scheduled to investigate his death, with police conducting a death investigation.