Stories by matt masterson

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Chicago Man Held Firefighters at Knifepoint in Gasoline-Soaked Home, Prosecutors Say

Melvin Jordan, 47, was arrested and charged this week with two counts each of attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping and unlawful restraint, along with a single count of unlawful use of a weapon.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Aug. 31, 2023. (WTTW News)

With Influx of Migrant Students, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez ‘Confident We Can Serve the Children’

As Chicago Public Schools has seen an influx of migrant students, CEO Pedro Martinez said the district has been able to rely on its longstanding infrastructure to make sure these new students get the education and care they need.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Chicago Man Charged With Child Endangerment After Accidental Shooting Death of 8-Year-Old Boy

Ramon Sumerlin, 41, is charged with child endangerment resulting in death and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon stemming from the Aug. 15 shooting of Jacari Brown.

Guaranteed Rate Field is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)

White Sox Shooting: Woman Denies Gunshot Wound Was Self-Inflicted, But Questions Remain

Details about the incident remain scarce, days after a 42-year-old woman was shot in the leg and a 26-year-old woman suffered a graze wound to the abdomen, which occurred in the fourth inning of the Sox’s Friday game against the Oakland Athletics.

Chicago Fire Department LT. Kevin Ward (Chicago Fire Media)

Chicago Fire Lieutenant Dies Weeks After Suffering Injuries in House Fire

The Chicago Fire Department on Tuesday confirmed 59-year-old Lieutenant Kevin Ward has died at the Loyola University Medical Center.

Guaranteed Rate Field is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)

Chicago Police Officials Reveal New Information, Days After 2 Women Shot During White Sox Game at Guaranteed Rate Field

Interim Police Superintendent Fred Waller said Monday his department has “almost completely dispelled” the idea that the shots that injured two women were fired from outside the ballpark, according to reporting from the Chicago Tribune.

Attorney George Gomez, left, speaks to Judge George D. Strickland as Robert E. Crimo Jr., looks on during an appearance at the Lake County Courthouse, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, in Waukegan, Ill. (AP Photo / Nam Y. Huh, Pool)

Judge Refuses to Toss Out Criminal Charges Against Father of Alleged Highland Park Parade Gunman

Judge George Strickland on Monday denied multiple motions filed on behalf of Robert Crimo Jr., including one that sought to have his criminal charges tossed out based on a violation of the state’s statute of limitations.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

24 People Shot, 1 Killed, Over Weekend Across Chicago: Police

According to Chicago Police Department data, 24 people were shot in 18 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

A photo federal prosecutors allege shows Joseph Pavlik in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Attorney’s Office)

Retired Chicago Firefighter Pleads Guilty to Jan. 6 Insurrection Charges

Court records indicate Joseph Pavlik pleaded guilty Friday in a Washington D.C. courtroom to obstructing law enforcement and knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building following his arrest early this year.

Tim Mapes is pictured at the Dirksen Federal Building on Aug. 7, 2023. (Capitol News Illinois)

Michael Madigan’s Ex-Chief of Staff Tim Mapes Guilty in Perjury Trial

The verdicts came following a nearly three week trial and five hours of jury deliberations at the Dirksen Federal Building downtown.

The Dirksen Courthouse is pictured in Chicago. (Capitol News Illinois)

‘Protect the Boss, Protect the Boss’: Closing Arguments Underway in Perjury Trial of Ex-Madigan Chief of Staff Tim Mapes

“Our system of justice depends on the integrity of this process,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Schwartz told jurors Wednesday. “What (Mapes) didn’t do, ladies and gentlemen, was tell the truth.”

(WTTW News)

Illinois Woman Charged in Federal Court With Threatening to Kill Donald Trump, Teen Son

Tracy Marie Fiorenza, 41, was charged earlier this month in the Southern District of Florida with a count of transmitting a threat to kill or injure another person, according to a federal complaint.

(WTTW News)

CPS Students Head Back to School Monday as Excessive Heat Looms

Mayor Brandon Johnson joined CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates at Beidler Elementary School on the city’s West Side early Monday as kids began the 2023-24 school year.

A file photo shows a crime scene blocked off by the Chicago Police Department. (WTTW News)

4 Teens Among 7 People Killed by Gunfire Over Weekend in Chicago: Police

According to Chicago Police Department data, seven people were killed over the weekend between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. During that time 40 people were shot in total, in 33 separate incidents.

The Dirksen Courthouse is pictured in Chicago. (Capitol News Illinois)

Prosecutors Set to Rest Their Case Monday in Perjury Trial of Madigan’s Ex-Chief of Staff Tim Mapes

The prosecution was expected to formally rest Friday, the trial’s ninth day at the Dirksen Federal Building downtown, but due to technical delays and ongoing testimony, that will be pushed back to the start of next week.

The Dirksen Courthouse is pictured in Chicago. (Capitol News Illinois)

Jury Hears More Wiretapped Calls of Ex-Madigan Chief of Staff Tim Mapes as Perjury Trial Continues

The FBI-recorded calls played in court Thursday related to former state Rep. Lou Lang — who resigned his position in early 2019 amid sexual harassment allegations.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

CPS Could Spend Up to $5M on COVID-19 Rapid Tests for the Coming School Year

The city’s Board of Education will vote next week on a one-year contract worth up to $5 million with the Pittsburgh-based Fisher Scientific company to provide COVID-19 testing supplies to the school district for the upcoming academic year.

(WTTW News)

Chicago Man Left Paralyzed in Police Shooting Files Suit Against City, Officers

Raymond Comer, 38, filed a seven-count civil suit in Cook County court in which he claimed he was shot by a Chicago police officer multiple times as he sat inside a vehicle last August.

(WTTW News)

Bond Set at $5M for Teen Charged in Fatal Shooting of 16-Year-Old Highland Park Boy

According to Lake County prosecutors, Estiven Sarminento, 16, appeared in court Tuesday after he was arrested on two counts of first-degree murder stemming from the fatal shooting Sunday of 16-year-old Omar Morales-Diaz.

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

18-Year-Old Man Among 4 People Killed in Shootings Across Chicago Over Weekend: Police

According to Chicago Police Department data, 28 people were shot in 19 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

A gun store display is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)

Illinois Supreme Court Upholds State’s Assault Weapons Ban

In a 4-3 decision issued Friday morning, the high court overturned a lower court’s ruling, stating the ban is constitutional and does not “deny equal protection nor constitute special legislation.”

The three finalists for Chicago Police superintendent: Angel Novalez; Larry Snelling; Shon Barnes. (Credit: Chicago Police Department and Madison Police Department)

Deadline Approaches for Johnson to Select Chicago’s Next Top Cop

This weekend will mark the end of Johnson’s 30-day window to pick the next superintendent of the Chicago Police Department from a list of three finalists: Angel Novalez, the head of CPD’s office of constitutional policing and reform; Larry Snelling, the chief of CPD’s counterterrorism bureau; and Shon Barnes, the police chief in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Dirksen Courthouse is pictured in Chicago. (Capitol News Illinois)

‘The Defendant Always Tries to Defend the Boss’: Opening Statements Underway in Perjury Trial of Ex-Madigan Chief of Staff Tim Mapes

“When the defendant answered those questions, the defendant lied,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur said, “not just once, but again and again and again to prevent the grand jury from finding out what Madigan had done and what Madigan had done through him.”

A memorial for 9-year-old Serabi Medina in Portage Park on Aug. 8, 2023. (WTTW News)

9-Year-Old Girl Had Just Bought Ice Cream For Her and Her Father Before Being Fatally Shot in Portage Park: Prosecutors

Michael Goodman, 43, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting that left Serabi Medina dead outside her home on the city’s Northwest Side.

The Dirksen Courthouse is pictured in Chicago. (Capitol News Illinois)

Jury Selection Underway in Perjury Trial of Ex-Madigan Chief of Staff Tim Mapes

Tim Mapes, 68, was indicted more than two years ago on a pair of charges stemming from his alleged false testimony before a 2021 grand jury about Madigan’s relationship with longtime confidant Michael McClain.

A file photo shows a crime scene blocked off by the Chicago Police Department. (WTTW News)

9-Year-Old Girl Among 7 People Killed in Shootings Across Chicago Over Weekend: Police

According to Chicago Police Department figures, 27 people were shot in 25 separate shooting incidents between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. That included the young girl who was fatally shot Saturday in the 3500 block of North Long Avenue.