Executive Summary
- Chicago police are linking two fatal shootings that occurred within one hour on February 11.
- Darwin Tirado, 22, was killed during a carjacking in Boystown, and his vehicle was used in a second homicide in Bronzeville.
- Two suspects remain at large following the violent spree.
- Community members and employer Chef Art Smith held a vigil for Tirado, a local student and restaurant worker.
Chicago police are actively investigating a pair of fatal shootings that occurred within an hour of each other on February 11, which investigators now believe are connected to a single violent carjacking spree. According to the Chicago Police Department, detectives are searching for at least two suspects who allegedly stole a vehicle in the Boystown neighborhood before utilizing it during a second homicide in Bronzeville.
The sequence of events began early Wednesday in the 700 block of West Waveland Avenue in Boystown. Police reports state that 22-year-old Darwin Tirado was sitting in his vehicle with another individual when two armed men approached them. Authorities say the assailants demanded the vehicle and personal property before shooting Tirado and fleeing the scene in his car. Tirado was pronounced dead shortly after the encounter.
Within an hour of the initial carjacking, police responded to a second fatal incident in the Bronzeville neighborhood at 37th Street and South Lake Park Avenue. Investigators confirmed that Tirado’s stolen vehicle was involved in this subsequent shooting. At the scene, officers discovered a male victim with a gunshot wound to the head. As of the latest report from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, the second victim has not yet been identified.
Family members and colleagues gathered for a candlelight vigil over the weekend to honor Tirado. Among the mourners was Chef Art Smith, who employed Tirado at his Blue Door restaurant and Reunion at Navy Pier. “He was a very remarkable young man, way too young for something like this to happen to,” Smith stated, noting that Tirado was also a student at City Colleges of Chicago.
Investigative Outlook
The temporal and geographic proximity of these violent crimes suggests a rapidly escalating threat profile for the perpetrators involved. By linking the stolen vehicle from the Boystown homicide to the Bronzeville murder scene, law enforcement is likely leveraging ballistic evidence and surveillance footage to track the transit route of the suspects. The investigation is currently focused on identifying the two armed individuals who remain at large, with police urging residents to exercise caution as the search continues.
It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
