For the past few months, someone has been firing shots near the intersection of Belmont and Broadway in Lakeview. Cops have found shell casings at least twice. Some residents say they’ve seen a man shooting from an apartment window. Other times, witnesses saw the gunman on foot. So far, though, police have not linked the incidents to any injuries.
It happened again Friday afternoon.
At 4:40 p.m., a 43-year-old man was in an alley on the 500 block of West Belmont when another man began firing shots in his direction, a CPD spokesperson confirmed. He was not injured, but police found shell casings, the spokesperson said.
In fact, officers found five casings in the alley, which runs between Cambridge Avenue and Broadway.
Witnesses described the gunman as a Hispanic man in his mid- to early 20s. He was wearing blue clothing and appeared to have tattoos on his arm, according to officers at the scene.
Police have responded to calls of shots fired in that same area repeatedly.
Several callers reported hearing shots fired behind the 3100 block of North Cambridge around 6:50 p.m. on March 7. Police did not find casings or property damage that time.
At 4:41 p.m. on January 13, police found shell casings in the alley between the 3100 blocks of North Cambridge and North Broadway after witnesses saw a Hispanic man in his 20s shooting at a car, according to a CPD report.
Police responded to the area around 9 a.m. on Christmas Day after several 911 callers heard shots fired in the immediate area.
And on December 16, three callers reported hearing shots fired on or near the 3100 block of North Cambridge just before 7 p.m. A 911 operator told police they heard gunfire in the background while one caller reported the incident.
CWB Chicago has received information from three residents who live in the immediate area that they have seen a man firing shots from either the roof or a window of an apartment building on the 3100 block of North Cambridge this year.
In a coincidence, a 72-year-old woman was shot in the leg as she walked on the 3100 block of North Broadway around 1:36 p.m. on March 31. Surveillance video showed the gunman apparently fired from a vehicle as it headed south on Broadway. Police have released no description of the shooter in that case and they have not linked it to other shooting incidents.