It Ain't Safe No More

By Matt Wood in News on Oct 9, 2006 3:26PM

Look, we know violent crime happens in the big city, and for every murder we read about in the news, we never hear about a dozen others that happen. But some stories, like two more from an already murderous past weekend, are disturbing and gruesome enough to make even the most jaded city-dweller sit up and take notice.

On Saturday, police found a man "burned beyond recognition" inside an SUV on the South Side. He had been shot multiple times, handcuffed, and left in the backseat when the blaze was set. The medical examiner said he died of the gunshot wounds -- quickly we hope, for his sake -- and not the subsequent fire.

Then yesterday, a teenager rode by three other teens on a bike and opened fire, killing a 14-year-old boy and wounding two others. The shooter, described as a 17- to 19-year-old male wearing all black, got away and is still at large.