Chicago police are investigating after the first person was reported shot in the city about 90 minutes into the new year, an unusually long gap for a “first victim” by local standards. At least four other people have been shot since midnight, but time — and investigation — will ultimately determine which case will become the first “official” criminal shooting of 2026.
The leading candidate for that dubious distinction is a 43-year-old man who was wounded after ringing in the new year at a South Loop nightclub. According to police, the man took himself to Jackson Park Hospital and told officers he had been standing in the 2100 block of South Michigan Avenue around 1:30 a.m. when he heard gunfire and realized he had been shot in the lower right leg. He was listed in fair condition.
Another early contender surfaced shortly after 2 a.m. when Chicago police were flagged down in the 800 block of South Michigan Avenue by a witness who reported that a man had shot himself inside a nearby apartment building. The building frequently rents units for short-term and overnight stays, according to online listings.
Police said a 37-year-old man was transported to Northwestern Hospital with a gunshot wound to the upper right thigh and was listed in fair condition. Accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wounds, often involving hands, lower legs, or thighs, are not counted as criminal acts in Chicago’s annual shooting totals.
A third shooting was reported at about 2:43 a.m. in South Shore. Police said a 33-year-old man told them he was standing outside when someone shot him in the hand. He was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital and was listed in good condition.
Roughly 40 minutes later, at about 3:24 a.m., two people were shot in Back of the Yards. Police said a 22-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman were outside when “unknown offender(s)” shot them, a CPD media statement said. The man sustained two gunshot wounds, one to the back and one to the right buttock. The woman was shot twice in the right arm. Both victims were listed in good condition, according to CPD.
Determining which incident will officially stand as the first criminal shooting victim of the year can take time. It is always possible that another victim has not yet been discovered or reported, meaning the designation could change as additional information becomes available.
If the South Loop case holds, it would represent one of the longest delays between the stroke of midnight and the year’s first shooting victim. Since 2001, only three other years have seen the first shooting occur more than 90 minutes into the new year: 2:10 a.m. in 2005, 2:32 a.m. in 2015, and 4 a.m. in 2014, according to CPD data.
By contrast, police records show that three of the city’s “first” victims since 2001 were shot exactly at midnight on New Year’s Day in 2007, 2024, and 2025. More than half of the first shootings during that period occurred within the first 15 minutes of the new year, and only six took place after 1 a.m.
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