A man fatally shot in an alley late Tuesday went undiscovered for about half an hour because no one called 911 to report the gunfire. The alley where the shooting occurred was previously monitored by the city’s ShotSpotter gunfire detection system until Mayor Brandon Johnson ended Chicago’s contract with the company in September 2023.
The 28-year-old victim was found shortly after 11:30 p.m. behind the first block of West 44th Street, police said. A 911 caller told dispatchers they had heard gunfire around 11:02 p.m. But they didn’t call for help until about 30 minutes later, when they looked outside and saw a man bleeding and lying on the ground. Officers arrived to find the victim dead next to a Lime scooter and a single shell casing, according to preliminary information. Police have not released any details about a suspect or possible motive.
ShotSpotter can instantly alert police to gunfire and provide an exact location of shootings, even when residents do not call 911.
About this series
At 12:01 a.m. on September 23, 2024, Chicago officially ended its use of ShotSpotter, the gunfire detection system that operated in the city’s most violence-plagued neighborhoods. The technology provided Chicago police with precise alerts about gunfire, often down to exact street addresses or specific spots like alleys, sidewalks, and gangways…