A late-night drive in Bronzeville ended in deadly gunfire early Saturday when two men were shot while sitting inside a parked car, killing the driver and injuring his passenger, according to police.
The shooting unfolded around 1:20 a.m. on West 43rd Street between LaSalle and State streets. Police said a 58-year-old man behind the wheel was shot in the neck and later pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center. A 26-year-old man in the passenger seat was grazed in the back of the head and was taken to the same hospital, where he was listed in good condition.
What Police Say
Officers responding to the scene found the men inside a blue hatchback, with no one else reported injured, according to ABC7 Chicago. Area One detectives have opened an investigation, but authorities did not immediately share more about what led up to the shooting or who might be responsible.
Police said the identity of the 58-year-old man who died has not yet been released as the investigation continues and relatives are notified.
Bronzeville Context
The killing lands as another blow in what has already been a tense spring on the South Side, with residents watching a steady drumbeat of shootings wear on neighborhood morale. Recent cases in the area include another fatal incident where gunfire erupts at 38th and Indiana, and neighbors and community advocates have been increasingly vocal about what they want to see change.
Locals have been calling for more cameras, better street lighting and broader community investment, and those demands are likely to grow louder as detectives work to piece together exactly what happened in the early-morning shooting on 43rd Street.
How To Help
Area One detectives are leading the probe, and investigators are asking anyone with information, security footage, or tips to contact the Chicago Police Department's Area One detectives at (312) 747-8380 or call 911, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Both victims were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park, a major hospital serving the South Side, per UChicago Medicine. Detectives say they plan to release more details as the investigation moves forward.
