Antonio Reyes

The victims of an alleged Chicago serial killer included a man taking his family to buy a puppy and an individual who went to a gas station for a soda.

Antonio Reyes, 21, a resident of the 2700 block of South California Avenue in Chicago, has been charged in connection with six 2020 murders on the city’s Southwest Side.

“These are six lives that were brutally taken,” said Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling.

The police superintendent said there was no link between the acts of violence.

“We don’t have information that any of the victims were connected,” Snelling said.

Reyes was already being held in Cook County Jail in connection with a June 2020 murder in the city’s West Elsdon neighborhood. He was also charged with attempted murder in the incident in which a 26-year-old man was killed on the 5800 block of South Rockwell Street.

Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling talks Thursday about murder charges brought against Antonio Reyes, 21, for six Southwest Side murders in 2020. (Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

While Reyes was in custody, Chicago police linked the Chicago man to five other Southwest Side murders. They announced those additional first-degree murder charges Thursday at Chicago Police Headquarters.

Reyes was also charged with four counts of first-degree attempted murder, including three children between ages of 3 and 9.

He also faces charges of trying to kill a cellmate with a shank.

The five additional 2020 murder charges stem from the killings of:

• A 31-year-old man March 2 on the 2600 block of West 59^th Street in the city’s’ Gage Park neighborhood
• A 21-year-old man April 5 on the 4100 block of South Sacramento Avenue in the city’s Brighton Park neighborhood. He faces an attempted murder charge for shooting an additional victim in the incident.
• A 16-year-old boy May 1 on the 5200 block of South Homan Avenue in Gage Park
• A 31-year-old man Nov. 8 on the 5400 block of South Homan in Gage Park
• A 20-year-old man Nov. 9 on the 4700 block of West 59^th Street in the city’s Clearing neighborhood.

He allegedly committed all of the crimes when he was 17 years old, a juvenile under Illinois law.

Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke talks about the Reyes case. “It’s sad to think about a 17-year-old committing serial murder over the course of nine months,” Burke said. (Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

“Hopefully, we will get some measure of justice for the families of the victims,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke. “It’s sad to think about a 17-year-old committing serial murder over the course of nine months.”

Superintendent Snelling said law enforcement needs to continue focusing on violent crime and young offenders.

“This started when Mr. Reyes was a teenager,” Snelling said. “That’s when this needed to be stopped.

“We have to bring attention to these types of violent crime so that we can keep our community safe, so that we can keep trauma down in our communities.”

He said police will target “those who are destroying lives and destroying our community.”

“We must stay vigilant,” Snelling said.

He hoped that the families of victims would find some measure of comfort in knowing that “we’ve taken this first step toward resolution.”

Reyes has been in custody since being booked for the West Elsdon neighborhood murder in October 2021.

He is next scheduled to appear in court March 18.

Snelling praised the work of police detectives in bringing the additional charges against Reyes.

“The charges in these cases reflect the perseverance and dedication of our detectives,” the police superintendent said. “Since 2020, these detectives have been working to bring justice and accountability in these cases.

Chicago police detectives and other police personnel stand at the press conference announcing charges against Reyes. (Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

“They combed through an immense amount of physical and digital evidence, including video, while leveraging technology, connecting Reyes to each of these murders. They also received assistance from community members who played an important role in providing detectives with vital information and evidence throughout the course of these investigations

“Not once have the detectives forgotten why they do this job. They investigated these cases for more than four years in the memory of the victims and the family members of these victims, and our community members who had to suffer through this trauma.

“The Chicago Police Department will never forget those who have been affected by this type of violence. We all share a goal of making our neighborhoods safer and this is an amazing example of how we are working together in pursuit of safety.”

He said police worked with prosecutors during the investigation.

“Our detectives worked regularly with (the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office) Felony Review (Division) as this case progressed.”

State’s Attorney Burke said that one of Reyes’ victims was killed when he simply went to a gas station to buy a pop early one evening. Another, she said, was sitting in a car with a friend on Palm Sunday afternoon when he was shot and killed.

“Another’s only crime was taking his family to buy a new puppy one afternoon,” Burke said. “He was shot and severely wounded in front of his three children and succumbed to his injuries months later.”

Burke said none of the victims had ever met Reyes prior to the incidents “and there is no reason to suspect that Antonio Reyes had any reason to target them, but that is exactly what he did.”

“We have one violent shooter who has been taken off the street,” Burke said. “Justice will be served and that is a good thing, but we have a lot more work to do.”

Chicago Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood talks about the case. “People should not be able to wreak havoc on the people of the city of Chicago,” Gatewood said. (Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood said the charges against Reyes show a relentless pursuit of justice.

“The Chicago Police Department never stopped pursuing justice to bring closure and justice to these families,” Gatewood said. “People should not be able to wreak havoc on the people of the city of Chicago. Today is a massive step in the direction to stop folks wreaking that havoc.”

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com