Gunshot victim seeks help from passing motorist after nobody called 911 to report the shooting (Too bad the mayor unplugged the local ShotSpotters)

CHICAGO — A man who told Chicago police he was shot inside a West Englewood garage early Sunday sought help by flagging down a passing motorist after nobody called 911 to report that shots had been fired in the area.

CPD said the shooting occurred in the 6100 block of South Damen, a block that was monitored by the city’s ShotSpotter gunfire detection network until Mayor Brandon Johnson terminated the company’s contract in September.

The 18-year-old said he was inside the garage when a man shot him and fled the scene around 12:10 a.m., police said in a media statement. EMS took the victim to the University of Chicago Hospital with three gunshot wounds to his legs. Police said he was in good condition.

Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th) represents the 6100 block of South Damen. She was among two-thirds of the city’s aldermen who urged Johnson to keep ShotSpotter online. Last April, she called the technology “a blessing and a saver in the 16th Ward.”

Despite her pleas, the recommendation of the city’s police superintendent, and the opinion of 70% of Chicago residents, Johnson eliminated ShotSpotter without a replacement strategy.

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.

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