Iowa man charged with shooting 2 women, 1 fatally, in River North hotel

By TopTrendReportTv

March 4, 2025

Iowa Man Faces Charges in Fatal Shooting at River North Hotel

CHICAGO — Demetris Shorter, 35, of Davenport, Iowa, has surrendered to Chicago police and is now facing charges in connection with the fatal shooting of Kenliada Porter, 32, and the wounding of another woman at a River North hotel last month.

During a weekend hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, Judge Ankur Srivastava ordered Shorter to be detained. Prosecutors revealed that Shorter and Porter checked into the hotel located in the 300 block of West Grand on February 21. The next evening, February 22, around 8 p.m., another guest reported hearing gunshots from the 30th floor, where Shorter and Porter were staying.

After the shooting, authorities said Shorter left the hotel through a side door but returned minutes later to obtain another key from the front desk. Shortly after, he allegedly shot a 28-year-old female security guard in the neck after an encounter in the lobby. Witnesses described the suspect fleeing in an SUV.

Initially, officers responded to the scene after the security guard was shot. However, upon further investigation, they discovered Porter’s body during a search of the hotel room. Despite attempts to revive her with CPR and a chest seal, Porter was pronounced dead later that night at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Investigators later tracked down Shorter’s rental car, finding his wallet, a handgun, and shell casings matching those found at the scene of the crime.

Shorter has a prior criminal record, including a 2010 robbery charge for allegedly robbing a pizza delivery driver at gunpoint in Iowa.