Stories by Matt Masterson

Thomas Dean was charged Thursday with three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon stemming from the Oct. 1, 2021, shootout in the 1200 block of North Mason Avenue.

Jerry Harris, 22, entered a guilty plea on charges of knowingly receiving child pornography and engaging in illicit sexual conduct during a remote hearing before a Chicago judge Thursday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy is facing a felony charge after he allegedly made a “violent threat” online about Lincoln Park High School.

Jaran Hughes, 21, was denied bail during a hearing Wednesday following his arrest on a charge of first-degree murder stemming from the Jan. 2 killing of 12-year-old Marcell Wilson.

A man who was shot multiple times in the West Pullman neighborhood Tuesday afternoon was struck by a Chicago Police Department vehicle responding to the scene and later died, though his exact cause of death remains unclear.

Tacarre Harper, 27, has been charged with nine separate counts of burglary from incidents stemming between November 2021 and January 2022.

“Judge Raylene Grischow’s ruling is out of step with the vast majority of legal analysis in Illinois and across the nation,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday at an unrelated press event in Chicago.

“Having talked to state’s attorneys who were dealing with these cases in juvenile court, and others, a lot of parents went to work during the day thinking their teenagers were logged on for remote learning, only to find something else,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

Victor Brown, 25, has been charged with first-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon following the fatal Tuesday afternoon shooting of Bobbye Johnson on the South Side.

“I understand why this continues to feel like a miscarriage of justice, especially when many Black and brown men get sentenced to so much more prison time for having committed far lesser crimes,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

According to Chicago Public Schools data, 49.9% of Pre-K through12th grade students in district-operated schools were accounted for on Wednesday.

After more than three years as head of the CTU, Jesse Sharkey will be stepping down at the conclusion of his current term on June 30, he announced Wednesday.

Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth want to know more about a federal investigation into the 2014 killing of Black teen Laquan McDonald.

Shahid Hussain is facing four felony hate crime charges, and two counts each of defacement and criminal damage to property after he allegedly spray-painted swastikas on Jewish buildings over the weekend.

Data published Tuesday by the Chicago Police Department shows there were 182 shootings and 48 homicides last month. Those figures are down 10% and 13%, respectively, over totals from January 2021.

“A swift return to in-person instruction gives faculty and students the best opportunity to teach and learn — and thrive amid their school community,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said Monday.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 18 people were shot in 14 separate shootings between Friday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 11:59 p.m.

As Chicago police attempted to stop a stolen vehicle downtown Wednesday, one of the men inside allegedly fired a shot at an officer before he himself was shot multiple times by other officers, prosecutors said Friday.

A Cook County judge ordered Xavier Guzman, 27, and Emilio Corripio, 16, held without bail following their arrests this week on charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder stemming from 8-year-old Melissa Ortega’s killing in Little Village Jan. 22.

Over a Zoom call Thursday, Cook County Judge James Linn said Jussie Smollett, his attorneys and special prosecutors must appear in person for a March 10 hearing to handle sentencing and any post-trial motions from the defense.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown joined Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to announce charges Wednesday against a 16-year-old boy and a 27-year-old man.

“I want to make sure that our team reflects the diversity (in Chicago), because it’s one of the riches of our city,” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said Wednesday during the monthly Board of Education meeting.

CPS has been criticized in recent days for not telling students and families that it changed the way positive cases among students and staff are reported on its online dashboard.

Under a new statewide compromise, public school and higher ed employees across Illinois won’t have to expend their sick time if they are forced to miss work due to COVID-19 — as long as they’re fully vaccinated.

Melissa Ortega, a third-grade student at Emiliano Zapata Academy in Little Village, died Saturday after she was shot in the head by a suspect who Chicago police say was aiming at a 26-year-old man.

“There are likely people here who liked it the way things were and who will push back and use media, become sources to create a lot of dysfunction,” Superintendent David Brown said. “We’re gonna push back, we’re gonna be the adults in the room.”