Murder charges have been filed against one of three suspects after prosecutors say a 16-year-old boy stabbed a restaurant owner to death during a gender reveal party in Waukegan.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 11:30 p.m. Saturday to 41 14 Forty One Fourteen Steaks and Seafood, 2120 North Green Bay Road, for a report of a stabbing.
Police arrived and made contact with a woman who had a stab wound to her leg, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Cannon.
Officers also located an unresponsive victim, later identified as Joshua Kirkwood, 51, of Waukegan, with numerous stab wounds.
Officers performed CPR on Kirkwood until paramedics arrived and took over care, Cannon said.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said paramedics rushed the man to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan where he was pronounced dead.
He was the owner of the restaurant and also owned Create Your Own Cheesecake and Cheesesteak in Waukegan.
Cannon said Kirkwood suffered numerous stab wounds, including to his wrist, back and right side.
Police learned from Vista Medical Center East around 20 minutes later that a third person, Iziah T. Gonzalez, 21, of Round Lake, suffered a stab wound and had arrived in the emergency department seeking treatment.
Officers spoke to two employees who were working at the time of the incident.
One of them said that Kirkwood and the woman, who was in a relationship with Kirkwood and a manager at the restaurant, were having a “heated discussion” in Kirkwood’s office, which was typical for them, Cannon said.
The woman’s 16-year-old son was upstairs and heard the verbal argument between his mother and Kirkwood.
Cannon said the boy walked downstairs after saying he was going to get his brother, Gonzalez, and kill Kirkwood, according to the witness.
The teenager returned upstairs with Gonzalez and an argument ensued with the three, escalating into a physical fight.
The boy pulled out a large kitchen knife and stabbed Kirkwood, the witness reported.
The teenager tossed the knife in the kitchen area, Cannon said. The nine-inch knife was covered in blood and found on the kitchen island by police.
Cannon said Gonzalez and his brother then ran out of the restaurant and across the street.
The girlfriend of Kirkwood told other employees not to talk to the police about what had happened, the witnesses reported.
Officers found no evidence that Kirkwood had any weapons on his person during the incident, Cannon said.
Detectives went to Vista Medical Center East and spoke with the girlfriend of Kirkwood, who initially refused to speak with them.
Detectives then spoke with Gonzalez who said that he and his wife had rented out the basement of the restaurant for a gender reveal party.
Gonzalez said his 16-year-old brother had come down to tell him that their mother and Kirkwood were arguing, Cannon said.
Gonzalez reported that the two went upstairs and Kirkwood began saying he would “throw hands” with Gonzalez and his brother and that everyone should leave.
Kirkwood took a step toward Gonzalez and his brother and Gonzalez grabbed Kirkwood by his shirt and the two began fighting, Gonzalez told investigators.
Gonzalez said he noticed his hand and fingers were injured and saw his brother drop a knife at the end of the fight, Cannon said.
The two ran out of the restaurant and Gonzalez drove himself — with his family, including his brother, in the car — to Vista Medical Center East for treatment.
Cannon said the 16-year-old boy fled on foot after they arrived at the hospital.
Gonzalez suffered a deep laceration to part of his finger that required stitches to re-attach the finger.
Gonzalez also told police that Kirkwood and his mother had been dating for a long time and that Kirkwood was physically abusive toward his mother but that she continued dating him, Cannon said.
Detectives later recovered a digital video recorder inside Kirkwood’s girlfriend’s vehicle that they believe belongs to the restaurant and the investigation remains ongoing.
Gonzalez was arrested after being released from the hospital and charged with one count of first-degree murder. Prosecutors filed a petition to detain him pending trial.
He appeared in First Appearance Court on Monday and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim ordered him detained until a detention hearing, which he scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
Court documents refer to the 16-year-old boy and Kirkwood’s girlfriend both as defendants in the case but court records do not show that either has officially been charged yet.