Stories by Matt Masterson

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown announced that Tavis Dunbar, 34, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Three men were killed and another injured when a car drove into a crowd of people Aug. 15. 

Monday marks the first day of the 2022-23 school year, as some 300,000-plus students head back to class on one of the earliest start dates in recent memory.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 37 people were shot in 26 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday evening and 11:59 p.m. Sunday night. That included a drive-by shooting in Homan Square that left four people injured and one dead Friday.

When attempting to access any of the specific courtrooms, users will now find live videos replaced with the following message from YouTube: “This account has been terminated due to multiple or severe violations of YouTube's policy against spam, deceptive practices, and misleading content or other Terms of Service violations.”

The woman — now 37 and identified in court only under the pseudonym “Jane” — is one of the main witnesses at the center of the government’s latest case against Kelly. She was allegedly the 14-year-old girl who later appeared in child pornography videos Kelly allegedly produced. 

Opening statements got underway at the Dirksen Federal Building on Wednesday in R. Kelly’s second federal trial, where he stands accused of multiple child pornography-related charges, as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice and enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Jury selection in R. Kelly’s trial began Monday inside a 25th-floor courtroom at the Dirksen Federal Building, where the 55-year-old Chicago native stands accused of multiple child pornography-related charges, as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice and enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 44 people were shot in 35 separate incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Jury selection begins Monday morning at the Dirksen Federal Building downtown, where the 55-year-old Chicago native will stand trial, nearly a year after a New York jury convicted him of sex trafficking and other charges.

Sebastian Aguilar, 37, has been charged with first-degree murder stemming from the fatal June 30 shooting of 39-year-old Mario Leyva.

The trio allegedly falsified documents and lied about the number of employees at multiple companies in order to defraud the government out of millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief aid they instead used to cover personal expenses and purchase luxury vehicles.

Robert Boik, who served as executive director of the CPD’s Office of Constitutional Policing and Reform, is no longer with the department, a police spokesperson confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

Prosecutors won't oppose post-conviction litigation for eight people with murder convictions tied to ex-Detective Reynaldo Guevara because the state’s attorney “no longer believes in the validity of these convictions or the credibility of the evidence.”

Gregory Baldwin, 45, was charged with a felony count of criminal damage to property, and misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 54 people were shot in 45 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced Tuesday new federal legislation targeting the straw purchasing of firearms, nearly a year after a Chicago police officer was fatally shot with such a weapon during a traffic stop in Englewood.

The city’s Board of Education on Wednesday will vote on a one-year, $10 million contract renewal with the Chicago Police Department that would allow it to provide school resource officers in several Chicago high schools.

According to Chicago Police Department data, 65 people were shot in 43 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Three people are in custody following the shooting, according to Police Superintendent David Brown, while a fourth man allegedly involved is still being sought.

“ShotSpotter inflates gunfire statistics, thereby providing false justification for oppressive police tactics in neighborhoods under its surveillance — all of which are already overpoliced,” attorneys wrote in a federal lawsuit against the city of Chicago.

Chicago police said the teen has been arrested and charged with one count each of vehicular hijacking and aggravated battery. 

Tiarra Berry, 19, has been charged with one count each of battery to a transit passenger and robbery stemming from the March 1 incident.

After three Chicago Police Department employees died by suicide in recent weeks, Police Superintendent David Brown is defending his decision to cancel days off during the historically violent summer months.

The governor is experiencing “mild symptoms” and has been prescribed Paxlovid, an antiviral medication used to treat the disease.

According to Chicago Police Department data, there were 22 separate shootings between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has tapped former alderperson Michael Scott Jr. as a new member of the Chicago Board of Education, barely a month after the former Committee on Education and Child Development chair stepped down from the City Council.