McKinley Park Murder Is Chicago’s Second Vehicular Homicide in One Week

1800 block of West 33rd Place.

Last Monday, April 28, a driver intentionally ran over and killed a man in South Austin following an argument. This weekend, another motorist used his car as a murder weapon in McKinley Park, authorities said.

On Saturday at about 6:45 a.m., Antonio Mendez, 24, got in an altercation with the driver of a white SUV on the 1800 block of West 33rd Place, near Archer, police said. Mendez and two male companions got out of a Chevrolet Cavalier and walked toward the SUV, police said. The SUV driver then ran over Mendez and fled the scene, police said. His two companions were not injured.

Mendez was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries about a half hour after the crash, according to the Cook County medical examiner. The SUV driver has not been apprehended; the police department’s Major Accident Investigation Unit and Area Central detectives are investigating.

Mendez lived on the 2200 block of West 35th Place and worked doing housekeeping at McCormick Place, according to Katherine Marquez, his wife of three months. “I don’t know how people can run somebody over and just leave them dying,” she told CBS.

Fatality Tracker: 2014 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths

Pedestrian: 13 (5 were hit-and-run crashes)
Bicyclist: 0