An 18-year-old man found critically wounded in a Burnside alley on Friday afternoon said he had been kidnapped, dumped at the scene, and shot. But his discovery was delayed by two key factors: no one called 911 to report gunfire, and Mayor Brandon Johnson dismantled the area’s gunshot detection system last September.

Chicago police responded to a “person down” call behind the 9000 block of South University Avenue around 3:44 p.m. and found the man suffering from a gunshot wound to his left thigh. He was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

According to preliminary reports, the victim told people who found him that he was forced into a black Dodge Charger, driven to the alley, and shot. Officers discovered blood spatter in a nearby gangway, lending credibility to his account.

No gunfire was reported to 911. The ShotSpotter gunshot detection system covered the area until Johnson ordered its dismantling as of September 23.

The incident occurred in Ald. Michelle Harris’s 8th Ward. Although Harris has typically been a mayoral ally, she joined most of her City Council colleagues last year to urge Johnson to keep ShotSpotter in place.

“Recently, I had a shooting in my ward. The police were there within minutes because of ShotSpotter,” Harris told reporters in September, noting that nobody called 911 in that case either. “All my (police) commanders support it.”

In addition to two-thirds of the city’s aldermen, CPD Supt. Larry Snelling and, according to a poll, 70% of Chicago residents were also in favor of keeping ShotSpotter.

Brandon’s Bodies

As of 12:01 a.m. on September 23, 2024, Chicago ended its use of ShotSpotter, a gunfire detection system that had been deployed in 12 of the city’s most violence-impacted neighborhoods. The technology identified suspected gunfire locations down to specific addresses and even pinpointed spots like alleys, sidewalks, or the side of a house.

Mayor Brandon Johnson refused to reverse his decision to dismantle the system, despite calls to preserve it from a majority of aldermen, numerous residents, victims’ advocates, and his own appointed police superintendent.

On this page, CWBChicago tracks cases where people have been found shot in areas that were previously covered by ShotSpotter without timely accompanying 911 calls. These cases often involve victims discovered with no corresponding 911 calls or calls that gave vague or incorrect information about where shots were fired.

Editor’s note: Case #13 was removed from this list on May 21, 2025, after the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the individual died by suicide in a fall from height.

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