A 65-year-old man found yelling and waving his hand for help on a West Side street overnight was suffering from a gunshot wound, police discovered. Exactly when the man was shot as he walked is unclear because nobody called 911 to report gunfire, and Mayor Brandon Johnson disconnected the city’s ShotSpotter network, which used to monitor the area, in September.
The victim told police he was walking when he heard gunfire and realized he had been shot in the right ankle around 3:06 a.m., Chicago police said. He fell to the ground in the 100 block of South Hamlin and started screaming to get someone to help him. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.
Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) represents the East Garfield Park neighborhood where the man was shot. Ervin was part of a City Council minority that supported Johnson’s decision to end Chicago’s contract with the ShotSpotter gunfire detection system. The city’s police superintendent, two-thirds of the City Council, and 70% of Chicago residents favored keeping the technology in place.
Brandon’s Bodies
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, despite the vast majority of aldermen, many citizens, victim advocates, and his handpicked police superintendent requesting that it remain in place.…