In the early morning hours of February 11, 2026, Darwin Tirado, a 22-year-old man, was shot and killed in a fatal carjacking in Chicago's Northalsted neighborhood. The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. in the 700 block of West Waveland Avenue as Tirado and a companion were seated in a Hyundai Sonata. The two had just left a nearby bar when they were approached by two armed individuals who demanded their vehicle and personal belongings.
During the robbery, one of the assailants opened
fire, striking Tirado in the chest and back. His companion, a 38-year-old man, was not physically harmed. The suspects then fled in the stolen Hyundai. Tirado was transported to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. Remembered as a kind, hardworking, and joyful young man, Tirado was an employee at Chef Art Smith's Navy Pier restaurant, Reunion, and a student at City Colleges of Chicago. His mother had worked with Chef Smith for over two decades.
The stolen vehicle was linked to a subsequent deadly shooting that same morning in the Bronzeville neighborhood, where 45-year-old Damon Kellum was found shot in the head. This led to a wider investigation into a violent crime spree that included another carjacking and an attempted carjacking.
Following an investigation that involved reviewing extensive surveillance footage, authorities arrested two suspects in connection with the crimes. Marquese Hill, 18, and a 17-year-old male, Marshawn Sanders, were taken into custody. They face a litany of felony charges, including two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of both Tirado and Kellum, multiple counts of aggravated vehicular hijacking, and aggravated discharge of a firearm. Hill faced additional charges related to the crime spree. Sanders is being tried as an adult.
