Family members on Saturday remembered a 23-year-old man who was fatally stabbed during an argument outside a West Town bar.
Just before 11:30 p.m. Friday, a 30-year-old man stabbed Kenneth Paterimos multiple times outside Richard's Bar, which is located at 401 N. Milwaukee Ave., police said.
Paterimos was stabbed in the arm, neck and back and pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital. The suspect, who had yet to be identified Saturday, was taken into police custody.
Paterimos’ brothers described the young man as social, hardworking and the “glue” to their family.
“He loved his family. We were all close. We’ve always been close since forever. We always kept in touch,” said brother Cruzito Bueno. “I count on him for everything."
Another brother, Anthony Paterimos, said Kenneth Paterimos loved traveling and always wanted to become a model.
“He really was all about us, our brothers together," Anthony Paterimos said. "There was nothing he wouldn’t do without calling one of us."
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Bueno and Anthony Paterimos lovingly referred to their brother as “Junior” and said he worked as a barista and helped support his family financially. His former colleagues at L’Ours Bakery Café told NBC 5 “Ken was larger than life.”
Chicago police said the stabbing happened outside of the bar, but family members claimed the altercation started inside. Bueno said his brother was antagonized before he was fatally stabbed.
“One of these guys messing around in the bar, bullying a lot of people, looking for a fight,” said Bueno, who was not in the bar at the time. Another brother was with Paterimos and said the man “pushed 'Junior.' 'Junior' pushed him back.”
Dan Doyle, who was working as a bartender next door at the time of the stabbing, said some of his customers were "frazzled" after seeing the violence first hand.
“Shortly after that, the police showed up, and there were a lot of them. [They] showed up and just kind of taped this whole area off all the way to the front of the door,” Doyle said. “I been working here for a long time, almost like, I would say 18 years, and this, that’s never happened.”
Residents who live near the bar said they were concerned about the police activity.
“I had been out, and I heard the sirens actually as I was coming home,” resident Chase Mako said. “It’s pretty scary especially because I live around here, and you never think it’s going to happen.”
A knife was recovered at the scene of the stabbing, police said. Charges were pending Saturday afternoon as Area Central detectives continued to investigate.
