NW Side man charged with murder, arson in Austin fire that killed 4
Lontray Clark, 23, faces multiple felony charges tied to the fatal blaze, including four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of aggravated arson, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of residential arson, Chicago police announced Friday evening.
Clark was arrested on Wednesday in Springfield following an investigation by Chicago police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, authorities said. Authorities identified Clark as the offender who allegedly 'intentionally set fire to a residence in the 5200 block of (West) North Avenue' last month, police said.
Alongside the 5-year-old, a 27-year-old woman, a 32-year-old woman and a 76-year-old man also died in the blaze, which broke out in the early morning hours of June 26, according to authorities.
The 76-year-old was identified as Brad Cummings, longtime editor of the West Side's Voice Newspapers.
Several published reports identified the victims as Gina Brown Henry, 32, her son, Jayceon, and her sister, Destiny Henry, 27.
The fire left three others critically injured, including a 4-year-old boy.
Colleagues and elected officials remembered Cummings as a hallmark of the Austin neighborhood.
Len Tomasello, a columnist for the Voice Newspapers for the past three-and-a-half years, said Cummings was the 'best of the West Side.'
'He was a curmudgeon in a good way,' Tomasello said. 'To him, there was only one thing — getting the paper out each week. That's what he lived and breathed for.'
Longtime West Side Ald. Emma Mitts, 37th, said that 'everyone knew' Cummings.
Mitts recalled that when she'd go to community events, 'I'd look around and the next thing I know, I'd see Brad.'
To U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, whose district includes Austin, 'There was no person who lived in the Austin community that was more important to the area than Brad Cummings,' he said.
Clark is due to appear in court for a detention hearing on Saturday.
tkenny@chicagotribune.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Newborn Baby Abandoned in 90 Degree Heat. Authorities Are Still Searching for His Parents
"This is the hottest day of the year. It's insane," a neighbor said after the baby was foundNEED TO KNOW A newborn baby was found abandoned in a car seat in a driveway in Orlando, Fla. on July 28 The baby boy was just a week old and was left alone in temperatures in the 90s The search for his parents is ongoingA newborn baby was discovered alone and strapped in a car seat in a driveway in Florida, according to reports. On Monday, July 28, a one-week-old baby boy was found abandoned near a stranger's home in the 5500 block of Lido Street in Orlando at around 7:20 a.m. local time, CBS affiliate WKMG, FOX affiliate WOFL and FOX affiliate WFLA reported. He was taken to a local hospital and is doing well, authorities said. Video footage showed the homeowner lifting a blanket to check on the sleeping boy, while additional footage revealed a police officer holding the newborn, ABC affiliate WFTV reported. The search is ongoing for the unidentified baby's parents, and police have asked that neighbors review their surveillance footage, according to WOFL. The Orlando Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The temperature was in the 90s that morning, as a local resident noted after the shocking discovery. 'This is the hottest day of the year. It's insane. I mean, from what we know, might have been during the night,' Nolan Clark told WKMG. 'So, hopefully the mom and the baby are okay.' While the newborn wasn't harmed, the incident prompted officials to remind Floridians about the state's Safe Haven law, which allows parents to safely and legally relinquish their newborn child. 'Parents can safely leave an infant with someone at designated locations,' the Orlando Police Department told WKMG in a statement, 'such as a hospital, a staffed fire rescue station, or a staffed emergency medical service station, with no questions asked, anonymously, and without fear of prosecution.' While Safe Haven laws differ in each state, a newborn can be given to a Safe Haven provider with no legal consequences if the baby is unharmed, according to the National Safe Haven Alliance. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The purpose is to prevent the newborn from experiencing injury, neglect or death. Since the first Safe Haven law went into effect in Texas in 1999, more than 5,000 babies have been safely surrendered. In 2023, 41 infants were illegally abandoned (28 of which were found dead), while 122 were safely turned over, according to the organization. Anyone with information about the baby boy is urged to call 321-235-5300. To leave a tip anonymously, call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477) or visit Read the original article on People
TechCrunch
3 minutes ago
- TechCrunch
Minnesota activates National Guard as cyberattack on Saint Paul disrupts public services
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has activated the state's National Guard following a cyberattack on the state's capital, Saint Paul. City officials have not yet disclosed the nature of the cyberattack, but the July 25 breach continues to disrupt city operations and some public services. Saint Paul is one of the largest cities in the U.S. with more than 300,000 residents, and is the latest in a list of major cities targeted by hackers and ransomware gangs in recent years. In a statement on Tuesday, Walz said he authorized the National Guard's cyber forces at the city's request to help Saint Paul recover from the cyberattack, saying the 'magnitude and complexity' of the breach exceeded the city's capacity to respond to the incident. The National Guard will help to 'ensure continuity of vital services and the safety and security of Saint Paul residents,' Walz said. Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said in a press conference on Tuesday that the city took its government systems offline to contain the intruders, which sparked a citywide Wi-Fi outage. Carter added that the city does not store much data on its residents, but said there was a risk that data on city employees had been stolen.
Associated Press
4 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Russian soprano's case alleging national original discrimination against the Met Opera to proceed
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge says Russian soprano Anna Netrebko can move forward with her case claiming national original discrimination by the Metropolitan Opera, which dropped her after she refused to repudiate President Vladimir Putin over Russia's campaign against Ukraine. The decision by U.S. District Judge Analisa Nadine Torres in Manhattan was made public Wednesday, a day after it was issued. The case, which will proceed alongside her claim of gender discrimination, has yet to be scheduled for trial. The Met did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Met General Manager Peter Gelb had demanded that she repudiate Putin shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but she refused and was withdrawn from three Met productions. The Met replaced her with Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska in at least one of those productions. Last August, Torres dismissed the performer's national original discrimination claim, when she also threw out allegations of defamation and breach of contract. But in her latest decision, the judge wrote that the 'allegations support the inference that Netrebko's replacement by non-Russian artists occurred under circumstances giving rise to at least a 'minimal' inference of discrimination.' The American Guild of Musical Artists filed a grievance on Netrebko's behalf and arbitrator Howard C. Edelman ruled in February 2023 that the Met violated the union's collective bargaining agreement when it canceled deals with Netrebko for three productions. Edelman awarded compensation the union calculated at $209,103.48. Torres allowed Netrebko to proceed with her separate allegation of gender discrimination under the New York State Human Rights Law and New York City Human Rights Law. She said the Met treated Netrebko's male counterparts with connections to Putin and the Russian government more favorably. She cited bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin and baritones Igor Golovatenko and Alexey Markov, who have continued to sing at the Met.
