Update 2:18 p.m. — CPD Interim Supt. Fred Waller said this afternoon that all active-duty Chicago Police Officers will have one of their days off canceled this weekend and they will be paid overtime for that shift.
CHICAGO — An Indiana man is in critical condition after being shot while sitting in his car in the Boystown neighborhood this morning, according to Chicago police.
The shooting occurred just hours after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson suggested that the Chicago Police Department may not need to incur any overtime on Memorial Day weekend, which starts tomorrow evening.
At around 1:41 a.m., the 35-year-old victim was sitting in his black Chevy Malibu in the 500 block of West Melrose when someone walked up and started shooting, police said. The victim sped from the scene and flagged down a passing CPD patrol car for help at the intersection of Broadway and Cornelia.
He suffered a gunshot wound to his back. EMS transported him to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.
Investigators said they found several rifle casings in the middle of Melrose Street, not far from where the man said he was renting a nightly apartment. Bullet holes were visible on the driver’s side of his car.
Thursday’s shooting is the first of the year in the Lakeview community area, which had four shootings as of this date last year. Lakeview had no shooting victims as of May 25, 2021. There were seven as of this date in 2020, including an accidental shooting and an unintentional self-inflicted injury.
During a Wednesday afternoon press conference, held shortly after completing his first City Council meeting since becoming mayor, Brandon Johnson told reporters that police overtime “might not be required” over the upcoming holiday weekend, CBS2’s Dana Kozlov tweeted.
But Chicago police officers have already had their days off canceled for the holiday weekend, according to several cops who spoke with CWBChicago. The entire Bureau of Detectives and all officers who work at headquarters were told several weeks ago that at least one of their days off would be canceled over the weekend.
As of late Wednesday, officers said, no one had told them that the days off cancellations had been withdrawn.
Earlier this week, state officials announced plans to deploy 30 “peacekeepers” to combat violence over the Memorial Day weekend.
