Three charged with fatal October shooting of 73-year-old man

Three young men -- ages 18, 19, and 20 -- have been charged with the murder of a 73-year-old man who was shot dead as he sat outside on a neighbor's porch on the South Side last October.

About 7:15 p.m. on October 12, William Thomas was sitting outside on a porch in the 6800 block of South East End Avenue, about a half-block from his home, when shots rang out. Grand Crossing District officers responded to the scene and discovered Thomas lying on the sidewalk, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound to the head, police said. Thomas, of the 1700 block of East 68th Street, was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:35 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

On Thursday, officers from the Chicago Police Gang Investigation Division arrested three suspects -- Aramis McKinzie, 18, Garlin Minor, 19, and Akeem L. Simmons, 20 -- after discovering information implicating them in the murder, police said.

McKinzie, of the 1400 block of South Canal Street, Minor, of the 600 block of East 95th Street, and Simmons, of the 1400 block of East 68th Street, were each charged with one count of first degree murder, police said.

The three appeared for bond hearings at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse at 26th and California on Saturday. Bond was set at $4 million for McKinzie, $4 million for Simmons, and $3 million for Minor, according to the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk's office. All three were expected back in court on Tuesday.