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| The intersection of Oakdale and Broadway | Google |
A Little Village man was fatally shot early Monday as he rode in an SUV on the 2900 block of North Broadway in Lakeview East, according to police and a source. Victor S. Ochoa, 30, was driven to Presence St. Joseph Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No one is in custody.
Police said a verbal altercation broke out between occupants of Ochoa’s Chevy Tahoe and people in a white Dodge Magnum in the 3200 block of North Sheffield around 2:25 a.m. A portion of the argument was captured on CPD surveillance video as the cars rolled south through the intersection of Belmont and Sheffield and someone in the Magnum pointed a gun at the SUV. Both vehicles then sped off, with the Magnum chasing the Tahoe, police said.
Ochoa was shot in the head and shoulder by someone who fired from the Magnum about three minutes later as the two vehicles traveled southbound on Broadway, police said. Shell casings were found on the pavement in front of Avenue Tavern, The Crepe Shop, and a residential building at 553 West Oakdale. The gunman was described only as a Hispanic man.
The driver of Ochoa’s vehicle was reportedly uncooperative with investigators at the hospital. Police said Ochoa is “known” to the department.
A large crowd of mourners gathered at St. Joseph’s, 2900 North Lake Shore Drive, as news of Ochoa’s death spread to family and friends.
Monday’s shooting unfolded about a block from where a 27-year-old woman was shot as she walked home from work at 1:30 a.m. on June 8th. That victim told police that a white man on a bicycle fired one shot, striking her under the right breast, in the 600 block of West Surf.
The victim and co-workers have said the incident was completely random. But, a local community policing officer reportedly “rolled her eyes” and told a neighborhood group last Monday evening that she was “skeptical” of the victim’s story.
That statement was taken as “victim blaming” by some members of the audience. A Chicago police spokesperson countered the officer’s suspicions by saying that “there’s not enough conclusive evidence to speculate on a possible motive” and “we expect every member of this department to act with the highest levels of professionalism and integrity.”
According to the Chicago homicide tracking site HeyJackass.com:
• The last homicide in Lakeview was reported on Jan. 2, 2018, when an 83-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by a neighbor at the YMCA, 3333 North Marshfield. That case continues to work its way through the court system.
• A 55-year-old man was fatally shot in the 600 block of West Oakdale on Feb. 4, 2016. That incident was ruled self-defense by investigators.
• The most recent criminal homicide by handgun in Lakeview took place in the 900 block of West Oakdale on May 30, 2015, when Kevin O’Malley was killed during a robbery. Kristopher Pitts, 26, continues to defend himself against murder charges in the case.
