'He still meant something to all of us': Shooting death of homeless man known as 'Pepe' shakes Chicago

CHICAGO — For the second night in a row, Mercedes Gonzalez stood on a Near Southwest Side street corner clutching a set of red rosary beads and repeated a Hail Mary.

“Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros, pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amen.”

Around her, a crowd of some 30 people stood in silence. Some bowed their heads. Others closed their eyes. At their feet was an array of candles and flowers. And behind the makeshift memorial, balloons wrapped around a light pole that carried the words, in white lettering, “R.I.P Pepe.”

Pedro Toledo Catalan, known by that nickname, was shot and killed early Sunday in Pilsen in the 1900 block of West 17th Street, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He was believed to be homeless, with his official home address unknown, the office said.

“(But) even though he was homeless, he was still part of our community,” lifelong Pilsen resident Erica Hernandez, 40, said. “He still meant something to all of us.”

Every evening since the shooting, community members have gathered at 17th and Wolcott Avenue to hold vigils for Catalan, who they say was a constant, gentle presence at businesses around the neighborhood and in residents’ lives.

Prayers were held again Wednesday night. Among the group was Catalan’s family, including two brothers, a cousin, a niece and a nephew. His cousin’s wife, Gonzalez, led the group in prayer.

Catalan’s family identified themselves to the Tribune but declined to comment further. Afterward, as the small crowd passed around hot chocolate and croissants, others in attendance remembered their neighbor with reverence.

Noemi Solis said she’d always used to buy Catalan coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts in the morning. He’d ask for a plain, black coffee, the 37-year-old said. Solis, who grew up in Pilsen, said Catalan was usually just hanging out, all over Pilsen. She’d see him sunbathing on cars. Catalan was “always smiling at you, super friendly, super sweet,” Solis said, adding “he didn’t bother anybody.”

Catalan would often frequent Blue Kangaroo Laundromat across the street from 17th and Wolcott, laundromat staff told the Tribune. He’d arrive when the laundromat opened at 5 a.m. to sit inside, staff said. Sometimes he’d buy a soda.

Alejandro Reyes, who lives in Pilsen with his family, said he remembers seeing Catalan walking around the neighborhood going back to when he was 8 years old. Seeing what happened, the 21-year-old said, made him “so depressed, so upset.”

“Until now, I still can’t believe (it),” Reyes said.

Catalan was one of three men shot on the block early Sunday, police said. Neighbors said there were two parties going on within blocks of the shooting — one in the 1800 block of West 17th Street and another just across South Wolcott Avenue — when shooting started.

The neighbors said they can’t imagine Catalan was the target of anyone, and police have not released any suggested motive for his shooting.

Officers found Catalan at the intersection with gunshot wounds to the neck and ankle, according to a police report. The other two men, 41 and 43, were shot in the leg and transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they were initially listed in good condition. An autopsy found that Catalan died of a gunshot wound to the head.

A GoFundMe was launched Sunday to help pay for Catalan’s funeral expenses, amassing nearly $9,500 before donations were closed.

Stephany Colunga, a 20-year resident of Pilsen, co-organized the GoFundMe with her neighbor, Dan Buchanan, who together over the past couple of years grew to know Catalan.

“Over time, we got to know a little bit more about him and I think we became really endeared to each other,” Colunga said, recalling that Catalan loved Monster energy drinks and music.

Colunga had been with Catalan Saturday evening. She heard what happened from someone on the street the next morning.

Colunga encouraged anyone still looking to donate to contribute to the Pilsen Food Pantry in honor of Catatlan.

Judy Hernandez said the shooting sounded like a war. The family’s ring doorbell camera captured a man in all black who appeared to stand in the middle of their street raising a gun and three bursts of gunfire from different locations. Moments later, the video shows dozens of people running east down the street.

“We’re like, ‘what the hell?’,” said 74-year-old Hernandez. “All that shooting, and the guys in the middle of the street — what was he shooting at?”

According to a police report, officers found more than 50 shell casings of four different handgun calibers at the scene. As police were securing the scene, a man who turned out to have a valid conceal carry license told them he’d exchanged fire with someone down the street. Officers detained the man but released him soon afterward, police sources said.

The Hernandezes have lived in the neighborhood for 54 years, they said. They’re used to some violence, they said, although that’s ebbed in recent years. But the whole family is rattled after two shootings on their block less than a month apart.

“It’s unbelievable that this could be happening on our street,” Judy Hernandez said. “We’ve never witnessed stuff like that.”

On Aug. 2, a man was shot in the arm while inside a building at 1836 W. 17th St. Police found a ghost gun with an extended magazine in the street outside, but no one has been arrested in connection with that shooting, a department representative said.

Neighbors who dropped by Catalan’s memorial Tuesday afternoon said one of the groups involved in the shooting that killed their neighbor had evidently been having a party outside the same building, which they said is used as a recording studio. In a statement posted to social media, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, said CPD and the city’s Law Department are investigating the building as a possible unpermitted studio or AirBnB location.

Catalan was one of eight people killed and 55 people shot over the Labor Day weekend, per police information. Though the weekend was less bloody than the same holiday weekend has been in past years, President Donald Trump has cited the casualties as he threatens to send the National Guard to the city to curb crime over the objections of both Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Judy Hernandez’ husband Raul, a co-founder of the community group the Resurrection Project, dismissed those plans as a political stunt geared to create fear and frighten Spanish-speaking people.

“How much money do they spend on bringing those people in here that can do nothing about (crime) other than intimidate the people in the area?” asked 78-year-old Hernandez.

His daughter Erica Hernandez didn’t think much good would come out of such a move either.

“Is there crime in Chicago? Yeah, absolutely no one could deny that,” said Hernandez. “Is the National Guard going to solve that problem? I don’t think so.”

She’s visited the memorial to Catalan and attended a few of the gatherings there in the days since he was killed. On Friday, she and her 6-year-old son walked around the neighborhood looking for Catalan because he’d wanted to give him some change he had.

Her son was fond of Catalan, she said, and would ask if they could buy him meals or — per his request last week — a house.

She has tried to explain to her son what happened to their neighbor.

“I just told him that there were some bad guys with guns that were shooting at each other,” she said. “And unfortunately, Pepe was outside and he got shot.”

Her son was shocked and couldn’t quite believe that their neighbor had been killed, she said.

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