Man found lying shot on West Pullman sidewalk, an area that used to be served by ShotSpotter

CHICAGO — A man was found shot on a West Pullman sidewalk overnight in a neighborhood that used to be monitored by the city’s ShotSpotter network.

Police found the victim around 1:22 a.m. while responding to a “check the well-being” call in the 200 block of West 119th Street, according to CPD. A police media statement revealed that they found the 27-year-old on the sidewalk, suffering from a gunshot wound to his right leg. He was in fair condition at Roseland Hospital.

Nobody reported shots fired in the area before the man was found.

Until September 23, first responders could have been notified of the shooting in a timely fashion because the city had ShotSpotter deployed in the neighborhood. However, Mayor Brandon Johnson pulled the plug on the gunfire detection system against the wishes of two-thirds of the City Council, his police superintendent, and, according to a poll, 70% of Chicago residents.

Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) represents the block where this morning’s victim was found. He was a vocal supporter of ShotSpotter.

As the system’s contract expiration expired in September, Beale said the fact that he and his City Council colleagues had to fight for ShotSpotter was “upsetting to my soul.”

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.