Nobody reported gunfire when robbers shot a man in a West Side park last night; family raises money for woman found slain Saturday

CHICAGO — A man who was shot during a robbery in a West Side park on Sunday night sought help by walking to a nearby gas station. But, records show nobody called 911 to report the shots, which were fired in an area previously served by the city’s ShotSpotter network.

Police said the 48-year-old was in Horan Park in the 3000 block of West Van Buren when two armed men confronted him around 8 p.m. They demanded his property and shot him in the back, according to CPD. The men fled on foot without getting anything from the victim, who was listed in fair condition.

After being shot, the man made his way to the Marathon service station, 340 South Sacramento, to get help. Officers traced the victim’s blood trail back to the park, but they were unable to locate any shell casings, which could be valuable evidence for investigators. ShotSpotter technology made it easier to locate casings because it pinpointed the gunfire location on a map that officers could reference.

Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) represents the neighborhood around Horan Park. He was one of only 14 Chicago aldermen to vote this month against a measure that could have extended ShotSpotter’s contract. He was outspoken in his opposition to renewing the deal.

“We got to stop playing chess, and not checkers, because this type of technology continues to drive community, away from what needs to happen, and that is engagement with the police department,” Ervin said before casting his “no” vote, WTTW reported.

In another development, the family of a woman who was found fatally shot in a South Side alley on Saturday morning has launched a GoFundMe to help pay her funeral expenses.

A neighbor called 911 around 9:30 a.m. Saturday to report that a woman had been lying in the same spot in his alley behind the 9500 block of South Avenue N since at least the day before, according to police dispatch records. Responding officers discovered the woman, 19-year-old Sierra Evans, had been fatally shot. Shell casings were lying next to her. No one reported the shots that killed Evans.

Like Horan Park, the 9500 block of South Avenue N was served by the city’s ShotSpotter network until, on the orders of Mayor Brandon Johnson, the company’s contract expired last week.

Evans’ uncle, Mark Abrams, established a GoFundMe to help cover the unexpected funeral expenses.

“We are trying to raise the money to bury her and put her in the ground so that she can rest in peace,” Abrams wrote in his online plea. “Any amount of money would help us at this time.”

His efforts had raised $865 of an $8,000 goal as of Monday morning.

About this series

As of 12:01 a.m. on September 23, 2024, Chicago terminated its relationship with ShotSpotter, a gunfire detection system deployed in 12 of the city’s most violence-impacted neighborhoods.

Mayor Brandon Johnson stubbornly refused to reconsider his decision to dismantle ShotSpotter, even though the vast majority of aldermen, many citizens, victim’s advocates, and his handpicked police superintendent requested that it remain in place.

This reporting series, named “Brandon’s Bodies,” seeks to document cases of shooting victims and police investigations that could have benefited from gunshot detection technology.

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