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| A window was shot out at Lawrence House (right) and shell casings were found throughout the area. | Google |
A 20-year-old man narrowly escaped being shot in Uptown as a gunman chased him for several blocks while firing shots during this morning’s rush hour. No one was injured.
The target and his girlfriend were walking near the intersection of Lawrence and Kenmore when they crossed paths with the gunman just after 8 a.m. The offender began shooting and chased the victim northbound on Kenmore.
“Don’t run,” the gunman reportedly yelled as he squeezed off four more shots on Kenmore Avenue. More rounds were fired as the men ran through a yard, down an alley, and back across Lawrence Avenue.
A window was shot out at the Lawrence House Flats apartment building, police said.
Cops found shell casings in several locations and a gun was found near St. Thomas of Canterbury Church, 4800 block of North Kenmore.
Patrol officers called out for nearby schools to be placed on lockdown until the situation could be resolved. A police spokesman was unable to confirm if any schools carried out lockdown procedures.
Witnesses said the gunman was a black man who wore a gray sweatshirt with a red hood with red gym shoes. He may have shed a camouflage coat as he chased the victim, according to reports.
This morning’s gunfire is just the latest in a rekindled gang war battle that has been raging in Uptown since mid-March.
A 30-year-old Calumet Park woman was reported in good condition after being shot by a known offender in 5000 block of North Argyle on Sunday evening.
More gunfire rang out on Easter Sunday when at least nine shots were fired just before 5 p.m. near Racine and Sunnyside. No one was injured, but the relentless paces of the shooting attempts made it clear that a rival gang is not giving up on their efforts to draw blood.
Police believe the car was shot up by rival gang members from the Rogers Park neighborhood who have been engaged in a month-long battle since two persons were shot in the 1000 block of West Argyle on March 19th, according to a source.
On April 16th, two persons were detained and two guns were recovered after shots rang out in the 4400 block of North Racine around 5:45 p.m. Officers found several parked cars with bullet holes and shattered windows nearby.
A search of an apartment building stairwell resulted in two arrests and the recovery of a firearm in the 4400 block of North Racine. Another handgun was found about an hour later on the same block.
On March 26, a 24-year-old woman was shot in her right leg as she walked in the 800 block of West Agatite, about a block from where Saturday’s gunfire rang out.
On March 24, several people were shaken up, but none were injured after shots were fired in the 900 block of West Eastwood. In that incident, witnesses reported that two men drove a Jeep Cherokee into an alley around 10:25 a.m. The men emerged from the Jeep and opened fire with a silver handgun. They then returned to the vehicle and sped away westbound.
