Yet another shooting attempt unfolded Saturday afternoon in a small, troubled section of Old Town that has seen a series of shootings and shots-fired cases since Oct. 23.
Saturday’s near-hit came at the exact same spot where a drive-by gunman nearly shot an Aurora woman as she warmed up her car on Friday morning.
Now, concerned residents are complaining about what they say is an open-air drug market in the neighborhood. One reader even sent CWBChicago a series of Google Street View images that show behavior that he says demonstrates a serious narcotics trade problem in the area.
Just after 4 p.m. on Saturday, patrol officers reported hearing shots fired near the intersection of Blackhawk and Larrabee streets. And the city’s 911 call center received an immediate deluge of calls from residents who heard the shots, too.
Responding police officers eventually found a Jeep with bullet hole damage and shell casings lying on the 400 block of West Evergreen. The damaged SUV and casings were at the precise spot where a drive-by shooter opened fire on Friday morning, striking a woman’s vehicle as she warmed it up.
Witnesses of Saturday’s incident reported seeing two men running from the shots and fleeing the area in a small red car, possibly a Hyundai. A similar red vehicle was reportedly involved in Friday’s shooting, witnesses said.
While no injuries were reported in Friday and Saturday’s shootings, four people have been shot within a block of the scene on Evergreen since Oct. 23.
One CWBChicago reader sent us images he found on Google Street View that show suspicious behavior in the area of the shootings, including men lingering on street corners.
Google’s mapping vehicle also captured images of a man standing outside of a parked car in the area. A large stack of cash is visible in the vehicle’s console.
“This morning, I drove my girlfriend to Midway and she asked if we had time to drive through and see that area,” the reader said. “Sure enough, a dude is sitting on the same corner selling his wares.”
