Updated - Murder In Uptown, Joker's Wild

UPDATE, 5:30 P.M., May 30 - The body of slain store owner Lorenzo Midguel was NOT found in the alley, as erroneously reported on another blog. Additionally, it seems that Mr. Midgquel's nephew was allegedly a player in the deadly poker game. (More updated info below, in red).
May 30, 2009 - Chicago - An early morning game of cards in the back room of Anadeisy Grocery Store probably led to the fatal shooting of one of the players.

The store is located at 4757 N. Sheridan Road (at W. Lawrence). The body of store owner Lorenzo Midguel was found between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. He was killed inside of the little convenience store that he opened in 2008. Anadeisy was first issued a limited business license on May 16, 2008. A knowledgable source tells Chicago News Bench that police are still looking for a suspect, who is thought to have been injured in the incident, and are looking for his Ford Explorer. CNB is told that police know the license plate of the vehicle.

According to a report at Lake Effect News today,"Bashar Hashish, the manager of the S&L Pantry next door to grocery store, said the landlord called him at 6:30 to tell him of the shooting."


UPDATE, 5:30 p.m. - An erroneous report at Uptown Update this morning said, "The victim's body is apparently in the alley between Peoples Church and S&L Pantry on Lawrence, just east of Sheridan; the crime scene is taped off and the body is going to be removed by a paddy wagon." However, when Chicago News Bench visited the scene at 11:45 a.m. and again at 2:45 p.m., there was absolutely no blood to be seen in the alley, nor any indication that the alley had been hosed down.

The only blood visible outside of the store were the footprints seen in the photos we have here. Chicago News Bench confirmed this with Bashar Hashish of S&L Pantry next door by phone at 5:25 p.m. He told CNB that Lorenzo Midguel's nephew was allegedly in the poker game. 

Mr. Hashish also told Chicago News Bench that Anadeisy's manager James found Lorenzo Midguel's body in the back room, not in the alley as reported by Uptown Update.


At 11:45 this morning, the wife and son of the victim were still standing in front of the store, along with family and friends there to lend emotional support.

I walked around to the back of the store, through the alley and a parking lot, and watched a man mopping the floor of the back room. That's where a poker game was allegedly happening when Lorenzeo Midguel was killed. I saw a single playing card lying face down at 11:45 a.m., just outside of the rear door. I thought nothing of it then, but later heard about the possible card game.

When I returned at 2:45 p.m., the card had been swept up and was gone. I did, however, spot several bloody footprints walking away from the back door (see photos here). It's interesting that 23rd District police did not pick up that playing card as possible evidence when they investigated the scene early this morning. Police apparently suspected that a poker game may have led to Midguel's death.

“I heard them talking to the family,” Hashish told Lake Effect News. “They were asking them why [the victim] was drinking beer at 5 a.m. and playing poker."

Another reliable source tells CNB that Mr. Hashish has told other people that a second person was injured in the alleged poker game, and it may have been the shooter. I emphasize that this is not confirmed.
Lake Effect News also reports that Hashish said "police asked the family if [the victim] was running a poker game. I heard the police say there was money all over the floor. It was bad poker.”

That seems odd, since police seem to have strong suspicions about a poker game, yet failed to pick up all possible evidence: The playing card that I saw at 11:45 a.m. There seems to be a pattern of careless attention to crime scene evidence in Chicago's 23rd Police District. See "Uptown Gang Shooting, Police Confusion, Panic (Corrected)"

Also See:
Candlelight For Murdered Store Owner Chicago News Bench
Uptown Update: Anadeisy - Welcome To The Neighborhood Uptown Update
All photos by T.H.Mannis for Chicago News Bench