Three men were killed this afternoon in an apparently drug-related shooting in the South Shore neighborhood.
All the victims were shot in the head about 1 p.m. in the 7600 block of South Coles Avenue, according to authorities. They said someone apparently walked up to the men, opened fire and fled the scene.
The shooting happened just west of Rainbow Park Beach.
One of the victims, Joseph A. Powell, 30, was dead on the scene, according to his aunt, Georgia Griffin. She described him as the kind of person who could fix items in people's houses, a trade he did to support his young daughter.
"He was the kind of guy who could fix anything," Griffin said. "He would walk past you and ask if you needed help".
More than a dozen family members of Powell's, including his aunt, were on the scene this afternoon. Griffin said Powell lived in the area of the shooting.
The Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed the three fatalities. But they would not immediately confirm their identities.
According to authorities and court records, Powell and the other two victims -- ages 29 and 24 -- have lengthy arrest records. All three have drug convictions in their criminal backgrounds and one of them has a weapons conviction. Link
