Firefighters responding to blaze discover woman shot on West Side block that used to be served by ShotSpotter

CHICAGO — A Chicago Fire Department truck crew, on their way to a major fire in Little Village on Friday evening, ended their response upon finding a woman shot in the 3400 block of West Van Buren.

The firefighters reported hearing gunfire in the area, but no 911 callers reported the shooting before CFD found the woman. ShotSpotter, the gunfire detection system, monitored the 3400 block of West Van Buren until Mayor Brandon Johnson pulled the plug on the technology on September 22.

Chicago police said the victim, a 30-year-old woman, was walking when someone fired shots from a vehicle around 9:19 p.m. The fire department truck crew encountered the woman and requested an ambulance more than ten minutes later, at 9:31 p.m. She was in critical condition with a gunshot wound to her abdomen, according to CPD.

Investigators were unable to locate any shell casings at the scene. ShotSpotter made it easier for police to find those sometimes valuable pieces of evidence by pinpointing the spot where shots were fired.

Before Johnson ended the city’s relationship with ShotSpotter, 33 aldermen voted to circumvent the mayor by giving the police superintendent authority to enter into a contract with the company. Johnson has decided to neither sign nor veto the measure, which may be headed for a courtroom showdown if pro-ShotSpotter aldermen decide to seek enforcement from a judge.

However, Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), who represents the neighborhood where the woman was found on Friday, was one of only 14 aldermen who voted against a last-minute measure. He defended his decision by claiming ShotSpotter reduced citizen participation in community safety meetings and caused fewer people to call 911.

Proponents argue that people in some Chicago neighborhoods, all too familiar with the sound of gunfire, don’t call 911 every time they hear shots. ShotSpotter, they said, filled a void.

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.

The general criteria for inclusion are a gunshot victim found outside in a location previously served by ShotSpotter with either (1) no accompanying 911 calls about gunfire or (2) calls about gunfire in a general area that do not lead to the timely location of the victim.

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