Police are investigating separate, unrelated shootings that occurred in the Loop and Uptown neighborhoods early Wednesday. No arrests have been made, and both victims are doing okay.
Uptown shooting
A 56-year-old homeless man was shot in the foot as he walked on the 4600 block of North Racine around 3:50 a.m., according to police and a witness.
Police said the man heard several gunshots and then realized he had been hit. He was treated and released from Weiss Hospital.
A police evidence marker sat next to a shell casing in the gutter, and blood could be seen on a nearby sidewalk outside the Buddhist Temple of Chicago.
“I want someone to do something about the constant drug dealing in front of the temple,” said a resident who lives near the shooting scene. The man asked not to be identified by name.
Loop shooting
Police said a 22-year-old man was shot in the wrist as he rode in the passenger seat of an SUV downtown around 2:47 a.m. Investigators are trying to determine exactly where the shooting happened, but it appeared to happen on Lake Shore Drive between Balbo and Roosevelt, according to officers at the scene.
Police said a Hispanic man in a maroon-colored SUV pulled up next to the victim’s car, shouted a gang slogan, and opened fire, striking him in the wrist. The driver proceeded to the 1100 block of South Michigan, where they sought help from patrol officers.
An ambulance transported the man to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. He does not have a history of contact with Chicago police, the department said.
Area Three detectives are investigating both shootings.
