Chicago police are investigating after a man was shot while sitting in a car in the 400 block of South Wells on Friday evening. He is the 11th person shot on the same block this year.
The Loop has now recorded 36 shooting victims in 2022, far more than any year in recent memory.
At around 11 p.m., the 55-year-old victim was seated in the back seat of a car occupied by two other men when he heard gunfire and realized that he had been shot in the abdomen, according to a police report.
The victim got out of the vehicle and flagged down a passing Jaguar SUV for help, an officer said. He arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital in the Jaguar a short time later. Police said he is listed in fair condition.
Ten other people have been shot in the 400 block of South Wells this year. Local residents have blamed many of the shootings on crowds that patronized Per.so.na nightclub, 408 South Wells.
But the bar closed permanently after one of its security guards allegedly shot another guard during a fight earlier this month. Charges have been filed in that case.
That shooting occurred shortly after the club reopened from a voluntary closure that followed a triple-shooting on August 6 that left two men dead in a parking lot at 430 South Clark, one block east of the club.
On July 1, five people were shot, two fatally, near a firehouse across the street from the club at 3:20 a.m.
Early on May 3, four people were shot at 499 South Wells.
According to city records, 36 people have been shot in the Loop so far this year, up from 25 at this point last year and 17 as of this date in 2020. No other recent year comes close to the level of violence seen downtown in 2022.
Would you please support CWBChicago’s reporting efforts with a contribution or subscription?