Albert S. Turnage, a 23-year-old African American male, was tragically killed in a shooting incident on February 25, 2015, in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The incident occurred around 4:10 a.m. in an alley located in the 1700 block of West Touhy Avenue. Turnage was found with a gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at Presence Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston at 6:37 a.m.
Another man, aged 30, was also critically injured in the shooting, suffering gunshot wounds to the shoulder, arm, back, and buttocks.
The investigation into Turnage's death revealed that he was not a gang member, despite the initial assumptions. The shooter, identified as Harvey Pitts, was later charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Albert Turnage and another victim, Jontaye Walker, who was killed in a separate incident on Thanksgiving Day 2015. Pitts, who earned the nickname "Angel of Death" due to his violent actions, was found guilty of six counts of murder during a bench trial and was sentenced to 38 years in prison.
Pitts was initially serving a seven-year sentence in federal prison for a gun-related case when he was charged with the murders. The prosecution argued that Pitts intended to kill rival gang members, but Turnage was an innocent bystander. Pitts showed no remorse upon learning that Turnage was not affiliated with any gang, reportedly saying, "Who cares?".
The case against Pitts was built on his extensive criminal history, which included multiple convictions and arrests for violent crimes. His involvement in Turnage's murder was part of a broader pattern of gang-related violence in the Rogers Park area. Despite the severity of his crimes, Pitts continued to exhibit a lack of remorse and a propensity for violence, ultimately leading to his lengthy prison sentence.
