In the moments before he jumped from the window with his baby daughter, Michael Watson tried in vain to save two older girls also trapped in the burning apartment in South Chicago early Tuesday, according to a relative.
"He tried to go to the room and get the girls, and when he got to the room, they were burning," said Lorraine Hudson, an aunt of one of the older girls. "There was nothing they could do. So he had to just grab the baby and (pause) survive."
Watson went to a window and jumped from the third floor. The baby, 3-month-old Melanie Watson, died in the fall outside the building in the 8100 block of South Essex Avenue. Watson suffered broken bones and remained in the hospital Thursday.
The two other girls, Shaniya Staples, 7, and Madison Watson, 4, were found dead in the hallway and living room, officials said. A next-door neighbor, Kirk Johnson, 56, was found dead inside his apartment.
Police and fire officials say they suspect the fire was deliberately set, apparently in at least two locations. A man was taken into custody as firefighters were still battling the blaze, but he was released without charges Thursday morning.
Officer Jose Estrada, a police spokesman, said the criminal investigation continues and the fire is still believed to be arson.
Thursday afternoon, Hudson cried as she stood near the burnt-out shell of the building. "I need closure," she explained.
She said Watson, the father of Madison and Melanie, was "still laying up in the hospital with spinal injuries, broken bones. His life is not going to be the same. He's got to go through rehab and everything. It's just crazy."
She also asked for prayers for her niece, Shaniya, and the girl's father, Shawn Staples.
"My nephew, you all pray for him," she said. "He's not sleeping, period. He's not eating. He's so lost. He's just in a frozen state of mind."
Police said they received reports about 1:35 a.m. Tuesday that someone had set fire to the courtyard building. By the time firefighters arrived, the fire had spread to the top two floors and residents were trapped in their apartments, officials said.
Family members said the girls' mother, Kyra Smith, was at work at the time. "Words cannot describe the feeling of being a mom the night you leave for work and getting a call to come to the hospital, only to hear that all of your children are no longer here on earth," Kasey Daniel, Smith's younger sister, said in a post on a GoFundMe page set up for the family.
An autopsy on the infant showed she died of injuries from the fall, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
The deaths of her two sisters have also been ruled homicides, and they died from burns and smoke. Johnson, their neighbor, died of heat-related injuries and carbon monoxide toxicity. His death was listed as a homicide.
The GoFundMe page to raise $30,000 to cover the burials and the cost of replacing items lost in the fire. As of midday, a little more than $11,000 had been raised.
In her post, Daniels said the three girls were a "daily joy."
"Three-month-old Melanie Rose was the strongest baby to have ever known, born a premie at 6 months," Daniels wrote. "She shocked us all when she pulled through and the family brought home a happy baby. She is now home with the Lord.
"Four -year-old Madison Watson just celebrated her birthday merely two weeks ago. She's one of the most brightest and comforting children to ever know. Oh, did she love to hold on to her mommy.
Seven-year-old Shaniya Staples, the smartest, sassiest, most joking little girls ever. Brighter than her years is what she was. Loyal is what her mother calls her. May our dearest Niya rest peacefully above."
By late Thursday afternoon, the makeshift memorial outside the Essex building continued to grow as relatives for the fourth victim, Kirk Johnson, arrived adding their own bouquet of mylar balloons along with a poster board with a photo of blue-suited Johnson on the building’s gate.
At least two of the balloons were decorated with sports balls to signify Johnson’s deep love of sports. A member of a large West Side family, Johnson grew up with future NBA stars Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre, and as a youth had his own hoop dreams, playing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before he was sidelined with an injury. From then on, Johnson set his eyes to coaching, coaching basketball for high school public leagues and semi professional squads, according to his family. In addition to his service in the Army and Army reserves, he also worked at social service agencies.
His ex-wife Karen Johnson said she received a call from police just Wednesday telling them that Johnson was the fire's fourth victim. Karen Johnson tearfully embraced his two adult sons, two of his sisters and others in front of the gate, as they remembered him as a devoted father.
"He was the one person that could challenge my mind, and as anyone can tell you, I'm a lot of challenge," said his eldest son, Lamonate Pams. "And I just want to make sure that people remember him for more than just the unidentified man because he was so much more than an unidentified man. He meant a lot of things to a lot of people."
"He was the prime example of a role model," said his other son, Jamel Johnson, 27, who said his father only lived in the building for about nine months. “If you didn’t have a father, he was the guy you’d go to,” he said.
“There are still a lot of questions we have in regard to his death,” Pams added. “We want answers.”
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