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| Locations of this morning’s two shootings in River North. |
Two shootings were reported in about 30 minutes overnight in the heart of the River North entertainment district. No one is in custody.
At 3:30 a.m., witnesses reported hearing three shots fired and a man falling out of a dark-colored SUV near Ontario and Orleans. Arriving officers found a 22-year-old man on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his left thigh. A shell casing was later found in the 300 block of West Ontario Street, police said.
A black Jeep SRT that was last seen heading westbound on Ontario may have been involved in the shooting, according to a witness.
The victim was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where the victim was listed in good condition. Police said the man was uncooperative and refused to provide any information about the incident.
Shortly after 4 a.m., a man reported that an occupant of another vehicle fired shots into his car at the BP gas station, 631 North LaSalle. The victim fled the scene and called police for help from the corner of Dearborn and Randolph in the Loop.
Police said the 23-year-old victim was sitting in a parked car at the gas station when he became involved in a verbal argument with a stranger who was inside a black SUV. The man in the SUV opened fire, shooting out two of the victim’s windows and causing minor graze wound to the back of the victim’s neck. The SUV then sped from the scene.
The victim, who lives in suburban Flossmoor, refused medical attention.
Police searched the BP station for shell casings but came up empty-handed. A security guard who works at the station reported hearing two loud pops around the time of the shooting.
Neither victim is known to Chicago police, according to a department source. Area Central detectives are investigating.
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