Another man is found shot (but nobody reported the gunfire) in an area that used to be served by ShotSpotter

CHICAGO — A 24-year-old man is recovering after being shot in a South Side alley on Christmas Eve. Chicago police received no calls about gunfire in the area, which was monitored by the ShotSpotter until Mayor Brandon Johnson pulled the plug on the gunfire detection network on September 23.

Officers responded to calls of a person shot in the 7500 block of South Dante around 6:28 p.m. They found the victim with a gunshot wound to his leg. According to CPD, he was standing near an alley in the 1400 block of East 76th Street when someone fired shots. He was in good condition at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Investigators found shell casings in the alley, corroborating the victim’s version of events.

Ald. Michelle Harris (8th) represents the neighborhood where Tuesday’s victim was shot. Harris, who has largely supported Johnson’s mayorship, was also vocal about her support for ShotSpotter as the company’s contract was winding down.

“Recently, I had a shooting in my ward. The police were there within minutes because of ShotSpotter, not because one resident called (911) and told them about it,” Harris said about a week before Johnson ended the service. “All my (local police) commanders support it.”

Harris was part of a two-thirds majority of the City Council that tried to keep ShotSpotter active. CPD Supt. Larry Snelling and, according to a poll, 70% of Chicago residents also wanted to keep the system active.

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 did not lead to the timely location of the victim.