Charles Senase was sitting on his front porch in Pilsen when a gunman approached from a vehicle and opened fire, authorities said.
CHICAGO, IL— A 35-year-old father of three was fatally shot while sitting on the front porch of his Pilsen home Monday evening, where his family said he had been taking a college test before a gunman approached and opened fire.
Chicago police said the shooting happened just before 7 p.m. Aug. 31 in the 2300 block of West 18th Place on the city’s Lower West Side. A vehicle approached the home, and someone got out and fired at the man before leaving the area, police said. The victim was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital with gunshot wounds to his chest and was later pronounced dead.
Senase’s family identified him as Charles Senase, a husband and father of three. His relatives told FOX 32 Chicago that he had been sitting outside working on a college test when the shooting occurred. His family said Senase had recently returned to Chicago after being accepted into college and was trying to build a better future for his family.
Surveillance video shared by the family appears to show a person getting out of a gray vehicle near the home, walking toward the property and firing before returning to the vehicle and driving away. Police have not publicly identified a suspect, and authorities have not said whether investigators have independently confirmed that the person seen in the family’s video was the shooter.
Senase’s mother was inside the home when gunfire erupted, according to the family. She told FOX 32 that she ran outside after hearing the shots and found her son seriously wounded. His relatives said he had been struck repeatedly. Police reports released immediately after the shooting described gunshot wounds to his chest but did not provide a precise number of wounds.
Senase’s wife, who asked FOX 32 not to identify her, said the family had moved back to Chicago only weeks earlier after Senase was accepted into college. She said they had been focused on their children and their future together. She is also undergoing treatment after a recent cancer diagnosis, according to the family’s account provided to the station.
Speaking about the impact of her husband’s death on their children, Senase’s wife said, “You took the father figure away from my children.” She also described Senase as someone who had looked forward to watching his children grow older and eventually becoming a grandfather.
The shooting was initially reported by police without Senase’s name. Authorities said only that a 35-year-old man had been sitting on a front porch when a vehicle arrived and an individual got out and began shooting. The Chicago Sun-Times and other local outlets reported shortly afterward that no one had been taken into custody and detectives were investigating.
Police have not announced a possible motive or released a detailed description of the gunman. Senase’s family is asking people who live near the 2300 block of West 18th Place to review surveillance footage that could help investigators determine where the vehicle came from or where it went after the shooting. The investigation remained open, with no arrest publicly announced as of Wednesday.
Author note: Last updated September 3, 2026.