60-year-old man is found shot on West Side street that used to be served by ShotSpotter

CHICAGO — A 60-year-old man was found shot, lying alone on a West Side street overnight after someone shot him from a passing car, Chicago police said. Exactly when the shooting occurred is not known because nobody called 911 about gunfire in the area, which used to be monitored by the city’s ShotSpotter network.

CPD said the man was riding his bike in the 1100 block of North Long when a sedan pulled up, and someone in the car fired shots at him around 2:10 a.m. Police received a call of a person down around 2:15 a.m., and officers found the victim a couple of minutes later.

EMS took the man to Mt. Sinai Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to his thigh.

Despite the fact that nobody called 911 about gunshots before the man was found, an officer at the scene said they found at least 15 shell casings a few houses down from where the man was found.

Ald. Emma Mitts (38th) represents the 1100 block of North Long. She was part of the City Council’s two-thirds majority that fought to keep ShotSpotter active in the months leading up to the company’s September 23 contract expiration.

“If it was good for the DNC, then it’s good for us,” Mitts said a few days before Mayor Brandon Johnson pulled the plug on ShotSpotter. She was referring to Johnson’s decision early in 2024 to extend the gunfire detection system’s contract until after the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago in August.

Mitts also spoke in support of ShotSpotter last April, telling Lisa Dent on WGN-AM that the technology was a critical tool for her ward, where many people don’t call 911 when they hear gunshots. She said she opposed removing the company’s sensors “unless you’re gonna tell me what you’re gonna put there. Don’t leave me without anything.”

Yet, despite pleas from dozens of aldermen like Mitt, the advice of his own police superintendent, and a poll showing that 70% of Chicagoans supported ShotSpotter, Johnson decided to let the contract expire. Since then, at least 26 people have been found shot on blocks previously served by ShotSpotter without anyone reporting gunfire before the victims were found.

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.