A 24-year-old man became Uptown’s 29th shooting victim of the year Saturday evening. Police said he is in good condition. No one is in custody.
Foot patrol officers in the area warned of the shots at 8:50 p.m., minutes before 911 callers reported a man shot outside of 1134 West Wilson. Officers found the victim at a nearby 7-Eleven store.
A source said the victim is a known gang member who has been arrested three times since August, including twice within the span of two days last month in Uptown. He lives in the Austin neighborhood.
The victim, who suffered gunshot wounds to his ankle and calf, claimed to have no idea who shot him, telling police only that he “heard shots and felt pain.”
Some witnesses said the shots might have come from a passing silver Honda that fled westbound on Wilson.
Police officers have been patrolling a short stretch of Wilson Avenue near the Red Line Station on foot 24-hours a day since three people were shot dead in the area this summer.
Last night’s shooting took place outside of a former SRO hotel that a developer is converting into grossly overpriced “micro apartments.” Perhaps the bullet hole in the building’s front window will add a dose of “grit” to the owner’s marketing campaign.
