A 30-year-old man who was found with gunshot wounds near the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park on Tuesday afternoon told police he shot himself, according to Chicago police. But no gun was found at the scene because, the man claimed, his friend ran away with it.
Park security officers found the man around 2:42 p.m. on the Great Lawn, which is east of “The Bean” and just south of the Pritzker Pavilion.
Chicago cops applied a tourniquet to stem the man’s blood loss. He suffered gunshot wounds to his upper thigh area and his right shin, officers said. He reportedly told police the shooting happened near the Pritzker stage.
Fire department personnel took him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. Medical workers found an ammunition magazine and $1,900 cash in his pockets, according to an officer at the hospital.
Witnesses said a man who was with the victim at the time of the shooting fled toward Michigan Avenue. He is described as Black, about 5’8″ tall, 160 to 170 pounds, with a thin beard. He was wearing a black Adidas hat, white t-shirt, black shorts, and sunglasses, according to witnesses.
Area Three detectives are handling the case.
Tuesday’s victim is the 17th person shot in the Loop this year. The neighborhood had ten shooting victims at this point last year and four as of August 3, 2019.
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