A 17-year-old was charged with killing six strangers during a murderous crime spree across Chicago’s Southwest Side in 2020, authorities said Wednesday.
“None of these people had ever met Antonio Reyes before and there’s no reason to suspect Antonio Reyes had any reason to target them,” Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said during a press conference. “But that’s exactly what he did.”
Reyes, who is now 21, has been held in Cook County Jail since October 2021 on a murder charge in the June 24, 2020, killing of 26-year-old Luis Davalos in the 5800 block of South Rockwell Street, according to police, who said he was charged as of Wednesday with five additional murder counts and four attempted murder counts.
The victims of those killings include, police said:
- A 31-year-old man killed March 2, 2020, in the 2600 block of West 59th Street.
- A 21-year-old man killed and a second attempted April 5, 2020, in the 4100 block of South Sacramento Avenue.
- A 16-year-old boy killed May 1, 2020, in the 5200 block of South Homan Avenue.
- A 31-year-old man killed Nov. 8, 2020, in the 5400 block of South Homan Avenue with three additional murders attempted on children ages 3-9.
- A 20-year-old man killed Nov. 9, 2020, in the 4700 block of West 59th Street.
The victims were identified by the Sun-Times as Claudio Cossio, Francisco Magana, Damian Duran, Luis Davalos, Jose Martinez and Justin Gonzalez.
“One victim was killed while he went to a gas station to buy a pop early one evening. Another victim was sitting in a parked car with a friend on Palm Sunday afternoon when he was shot and killed. Another victim’s only crime was taking his family to buy a new puppy one afternoon. He was shot and severely wounded in front of his three children and succumbed to his injuries months later,” Burke said.
Police don’t believe Reyes knew any of the victims killed in each incident and authorities did not release a possible motive behind the killings.
“We have six lives and who knows how many he may have been responsible for?” Police Supt. Larry Snelling said. “We’ll continue to look into that.”
While Reyes was awaiting trial in jail he tried to kill his cellmate with a shank and is facing charges in that incident, according to Burke.
Authorities were able to tie Reyes to the 2020 killings after recovering a .40-caliber handgun that summer that matched casings at other crime scenes, Bureau of Detectives Chief Antoinette Ursitti said, adding Reyes also had a significant social media footprint.
While police consider several cases involving Reyes to be closed, they are looking at additional incidents and potential associates, she said.
His next court date is scheduled for March 18.
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