A man was fatally shot in broad daylight outside a Gage Park migrant shelter on Chicago's Southwest Side, sending shockwaves through the local community. According to the Chicago Tribune, the 28-year-old victim, whose identity was not immediately released, was on the sidewalk at around 12:44 p.m. Saturday when shots were fired from a passing vehicle on the 2400 block of West 55th Street. He was hit in the head and later died at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Area One detectives are actively looking to piece together the details of the crime as the investigation unfolds. Witnesses described a chilling scene, where migrants staying at the shelter were advised not to go outside as police swooped to the vicinity of the attack, which Alderman Ray Lopez confirmed involved a migrant man. Yet, the victim reportedly was not residing in the shelter at the time of the shooting, according to details provided by WLS.
Maikol Hidalgo, a migrant from Caracas, Venezuela, expressed his grief and a disturbing sense of deja vu when he told the Tribune, "This is normal for me. Life there isn’t easy." Hidalgo, who had also known the deceased from another shelter, lamented that as Venezuelans, they feel a connected bond akin to family. Alberto Castillo, another Venezuelan migrant, shared his nostalgia for the comforting traditions of home amidst the tragedy. "The 24th, we used to buy food. We would celebrate and cook, and walk around and share it," he recounted to the Tribune.
