A holiday weekend turned violent on Chicago's Southwest Side late Friday when a 17-year-old boy was shot multiple times in a West Lawn alley, police said.
According to ABC7 Chicago, the gunfire erupted around 10:40 p.m. in an alley in the 6800 block of South Kostner Avenue. A man reportedly walked up to the teen and opened fire, hitting him several times in the torso.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital in serious condition, where he remains under care. No one was in custody as of the latest report, and detectives were processing the scene and canvassing the area for leads, police told the station.
How the city records incidents
For those tracking crime trends, the Chicago Police Department posts reported incidents on the City of Chicago Data Portal in the "Crimes - 2001 to present" dataset. The database is updated daily and can be revised as investigations move forward, which means numbers can shift over time. It is a useful tool for seeing long-term neighborhood patterns, although it does not replace real-time information from police or local news coverage, as outlined on the City of Chicago Data Portal.
Holiday weekend violence
The shooting on Kostner was not an isolated incident. The holiday period saw a spate of gun violence across the city; ABC7 Chicago reported that at least seven people were shot on Christmas night alone in separate incidents. Many of those cases remained open as detectives continued to chase down tips and comb through video evidence.
Recent violence in West Lawn
West Lawn has been grappling with violence throughout the year. In July, a neighborhood shooting left an 18-year-old dead and a 15-year-old wounded, and prosecutors later charged a 17-year-old in that case, according to CBS Chicago. That incident renewed concerns about safety on the Southwest Side and put fresh attention on how quickly disputes in the area can turn deadly.
How to help investigators
Chicago police are asking anyone with information about the Kostner Avenue shooting to contact investigators. Area One detectives can be reached at 312-747-8380, and residents can also submit tips through standard CPD channels. In an emergency, authorities urge people to call 9-1-1 immediately and, when it is safe, share any video, photos or eyewitness details that might help solve the case, according to the Chicago Police Department.
