Cook County prosecutors refused to file any charges following a Monday night shootout that left four men, including an armed security guard, injured in Little Italy, according to sources.
Chicago police said two men were exchanging gunfire with a third man in the 1000 block of West 14th Street when a security guard returned fire at one of the men who was shooting in his direction. CPD officers responded to calls of shots fired and found all four men with gunshot wounds around 10:45 p.m.
The 37-year-old security guard was on duty at a nearby housing complex, according to one source.
A 19-year-old man was critically injured, and two others, ages 21 and 23, were shot in their legs, according to police.
Police initially said all three men engaged in the initial incident had been arrested, but a CPD spokesperson said Wednesday that only two were detained, and both were released without being charged with any crime.
According to two sources, prosecutors at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office refused to charge the men for any crime, including aggravated discharge of a weapon.
Officers at the scene said they found two guns and more than 20 shell casings.
“There’s video, witnesses, everything,” one source said, adding that the security officer personally identified two of the men. The guard suffered a gunshot wound to his arm and a graze wound to his head, according to CPD.
The state’s attorney’s office did not respond to a request for information about the case and its charging decisions.