ShotSpotter sends cops to murder scene that nobody called about, gets cops to another scene within seconds

August 20, 2024 7:39 PM CWBChicago Austin, West Garfield Park
A Chicago police sergeant at the scene of a murder in the 4800 block of West West End on August 19, 2024. (Kyle Mazza/UNF News)

CHICAGO — With just over a month to go before Mayor Brandon Johnson is slated to pull the plug on ShotSpotter, the gunfire detection system continues to help police find shooting victims that no one called 911 about and arrive at shooting scenes faster than if they had to wait for witnesses to call.

Late Monday night, a man was shot and killed in an alley behind 4845 West West End in Austin. CPD said in a media statement that the 33-year-old had been shot multiple times in the face and arms. He did not survive.

But the only reason Chicago police officers knew about the shooting was because they received a pin-point, accurate notification from ShotSpotter. Nobody called 911 about the shooting before police arrived, according to a source familiar with the case. Police dispatch records appear to confirm that information.

At 10:25 p.m., an officer in the Austin (15th) District intelligence center radioed a dispatcher about the ShotSpotter alert. A patrol unit arrived at the scene and called for an ambulance within three minutes of taking the assignment. Investigators found two shell casings at the scene and a firearm lying under a car near the victim.

This video shows the ShotSpotter alert as it was received, with the system’s estimation of the shooting location and a recording of the gunfire:

This satellite image from Google Maps marks 4847 West West End, the address adjacent to the shooting scene. As you can see, ShotSpotter was remarkably accurate:

On Sunday afternoon, ShotSpotter helped police arrive at a shooting scene within about one minute of shots being fired, records show.

At 3 o’clock, the Harrison (11th) District technology center relayed a ShotSpotter alert of 25 “possible” shots fired at 3900 West Madison. The officer, using a CPD surveillance camera, immediately confirmed that a gunshot victim was lying in the street. Police officers were on the scene within seconds.

Here’s how that sounded on the local police district’s radio channel from start to finish:

Source: Broadcastify

Unfortunately, that victim, a 28-year-old man, also succumbed to his injuries. CWBChicago reviewed the report and found that the victim sustained at least 15 gunshot wounds. And, just like in the West End shooting, police found a handgun at the scene.

Here’s how that ShotSpotter alert looked and sounded. As you’ll hear, the gunfire appears to be coming from an automatic-firing weapon, like a machine gun:

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office listed the location of the shooting as 3908 West Madison, an address that aligns with the strip mall you see in the ShotSpotter video.

Mayor Johnson appears to be convinced that ShotSpotter is not worth the roughly $10 million a year it receives for its services. Unless he changes his mind, and he has repeatedly indicated that his decision has been made, ShotSpotter is scheduled to be deactivated here on September 22.

Previous reporting

Critics of the ShotSpotter system insist that it is inaccurate and ineffective. Some say it is racist. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx claimed that ShotSpotter does not contribute significantly to firearms-related prosecutions in the city.

Our team reads hundreds of Chicago police reports every week. We can say with certainty that ShotSpotter alerts routinely result in the arrests of armed men—and they’re almost always men—after shots are fired in the city. This series includes cases we happened to come across during our work. It is not an exhaustive list of every ShotSpotter case filed.

Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.

About CWBChicago 8992 Articles
CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is [email protected]
Website