Oak Park Newspaper

Street Justice for a Murdered Man in
Oak Park?

Ramen S. Griffin found dead in the street, blood but no tears.

Griffin was arrested last year in Oak Park for chasing, beating, and stomping on 31 year old victim's head. This all happened during the Oak Park 4th of July celebration. The victim was in the hospital for two days recovering from the head stomping, and has been reported to have recovered from the injury.
Since his attacker was a man of record, perhaps the victim did not forget the foot of the late Ramen Griffin on his skull. When Ramen Griffin left his 31 year old victim on the street, the paramedics found the man unconscious and with blood coming from his mouth (at Lake Street and Ridgeland Avenue-10:00pm). An Oak Park Police Sgt. had seen the incident and arrested Griffin.

Ramen S. Griffin, was found dead in the street, on the Oak Park side of Austin, in the 700 block of North Austin Boulevard, at 6:30 am on Saturday, the 16th. He had been shot with a handgun several times, and the fatal round is the one that went through his head. He was pronounced dead in the street by Oak Park paramedics.

The 700 Block of Austin Blvd. where Griffin was found dead in the street.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photo

There was a witness who reported seeing a black man 5 foot 9 inches (more or less) with an athletic build running from the shooting area with his head covered by his jacket. He was also reported to be wearing a white T-shirt. The only problem with that description is that fits almost half of the population of the Austin area.

When a description was quickly announced of the possible offender, Chicago police chased and took into custody a black man fitting the reported assailant at or near Mayfield Avenue, only two blocks from the murder. In custody, several people identified the man from a line up, but interviews of the man conducted by the investigators concluded with his later release from the police without any charges made.

Chicago Avenue a few blocks from the Oak Park border looks like a third world country with better streets.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photo

Residents we interviewed in the city are more than aware of the gang and drug problems with the area, several heroin overdoses a week and gun shots fired on the street. Chicago police sources told us that there was a report of the murdered man having partied the night before at one of the two areas shown below.

4900 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago an active area late at night on a Friday and Saturday nights.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photos

The area above is some one and a half miles from Oak Park and if walked it would take about 30 minutes with a sober walker, longer if you had been drinking a bit. There are plenty of cameras in this area to record such movements. The violent life we know of from the person seems to have caught up with him. He died in a street with his head on the pavement like he had left a man a year ago with his head in street, but that man came to and lived with the help of our Fire department.

06.18.12

Victim in Chicago, Oak Park border shooting identified

The victim of an apparent homicide early Saturday morning on Austin Boulevard near Chicago Avenue has been identified as Chicago resident Ramen S. Griffin, 25, of the 600 block of N. Austin Boulevard.

Responding to the report of a shooting at approximately 6:30 a.m., Sat., June 16, police found Griffin lying in the street on the Oak Park side of Austin Boulevard suffering from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds. Oak Park paramedics determined the victim was deceased. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office later ruled the death a homicide.

Police say the investigation is still in the early stages, but preliminary information suggests the incident may have escalated from a previous dispute in Chicago between Griffin and the person or persons who may have been involved in the shooting. Witnesses reported seeing a male subject running from the scene shortly after the shooting.

Police are continuing to collect evidence and conduct interviews in the surrounding area and with those who may have known the victim. Additional information will be released when it becomes available.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call Oak Park Police at 708.386.3800. Anonymous tips may be made by calling 708.434.1636 or online at www.oak-park.us/police.