Prosecutors have charged two men, Deandre Loveless, 30, and Jamarr Hill, 21, with a double shooting that left one man dead and a bystander injured near the Morse Red Line station last month. Loveless is currently on parole for attempted murder for a 2015 shooting that occurred about a block away from the latest case, in which a woman was unintentionally killed.
According to prosecutors, Loveless picked up Hill and a second person in a rental car on the morning of April 9 and drove to a currency exchange near the Howard CTA station. About 20 minutes later, Loveless drove to the Morse Red Line station and waited for their intended target to come out of a nearby Dunkin’. As the 33-year-old victim emerged, Loveless pulled the rental car forward, allowing Hill to get out and chase the victim, shooting him to death in the 6900 block of North Glenwood. Bullets also struck a 41-year-old man walking a dog in the area, who sought help inside a nearby bar.
Prosecutors said Hill returned to the rental car, which sped away to the 800 block of West Eastwood, where everyone in the car met with a fourth person about 12 minutes after the shooting. About two hours after the murder, Loveless returned the rental car and rented a different vehicle.
Chicago police used various evidence, including rental car records, cell phone GPS histories, license plate reader data, and video from homes, schools, businesses, and city cameras, to identify Loveless and Hill. Both men were arrested this week and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Judge Mary Marubio detained them on Friday to await trial.
Loveless is on parole for a shooting that occurred in the 1500 block of West Morse in 2015, in which he and another man were trying to shoot the passenger in a car but instead shot the vehicle’s driver, 42-year-old Carla Martinez. Martinez was paralyzed from the neck down and later died from her injuries. Loveless pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released on parole in April 2022.
The community is outraged by the senseless violence and is calling for justice for the victims and their families. The case serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence and the need for collective action to address the root causes of crime.