Police: Man Opened Fire During Memorial For Slain 15-Year-Old

On June 14, mourners were stunned when a "crazed" gunman opened fire during a Humboldt Park memorial for a teenager slain earlier in the same week. The alleged gunman was charged Friday with attempted murder, reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Michael Martinez, 23, was reportedly free on bond from a pending narcotics charge, in addition to being under court supervision related to a domestic battery conviction, when he attended a memorial for 15-year-old Jovany Diaz, who was killed nearby only a night before. Martinez allegedly began to quarrel with another man, when he took a revolver from his waistband, fired two shots into the air and then lowered his gun and shot the 24-year-old victim in both legs before he ran from the scene in the 4300 block of West Hirsch Street.

Martinez's bond was set at $500,000 Friday.

Chicago Sun-Times reporter Kim Janssen was covering the memorial at the time of the shooting. He described the crowd dispersing quickly when the gunshots rang out. Upon his return to the scene, Janssen later wrote that he saw the victim “bleeding from the leg and turning a shade of grayish green.” Few witnesses from the area, which is contested gang territory, reportedly spoke with police about the shooting, but the shooting victim was able to identify Martinez from an array of photos.

The neighborhood has been especially violent as of late. On Thursday, a 15-year-old girl was shot in the neck and seriously wounded while walking on the sidewalk around 9:05 p.m. in the 4100 block of West Wabansia Avenue, according to the Sun-Times. As of early Friday, investigators had not taken any suspects into custody.