A gunman opened fire in the 800 block of East 79th Street in Chatham at about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, wounding two men before fleeing on foot, leaving one victim fighting for his life and the other with a gunshot wound to the face.
The 44-year-old man suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, while a 29-year-old man was shot in the face and taken to the same hospital in serious condition, according to Chicago Sun-Times. Police said the men were shot by another man who fired multiple shots before running from the scene. Area 2 detectives are investigating, and police have released no suspect information so far.
The 6th District covers Chatham along with Auburn Gresham and Greater Grand Crossing. Police identified Area Two detectives as investigators in this case.
A Block That Keeps Making Headlines
This isn't the first time gunfire has erupted on this exact stretch of 79th Street. On January 4, a 33-year-old man was shot multiple times in a parking lot in the same 800 block after a gunman inside a stolen vehicle opened fire, leaving him in critical condition, as reported by CBS News. Officers later recovered the vehicle and arrested a wounded 17-year-old suspect in that case.
In another shooting, two men were shot and wounded outside a business on the same block when multiple assailants exited an SUV and opened fire, per CBS News.
Violence has also struck nearby. On March 24, two men were shot and killed in the 7800 block of South Calumet Avenue after five male suspects confronted them on the street and fled on foot toward 79th Street, according to Hoodline's earlier report. Area Two detectives were assigned to that double homicide as well.
The Trauma Center That's Saving Lives
Both men from Wednesday's shooting were transported to University of Chicago Medicine, whose Level 1 Adult Trauma Center has reshaped emergency outcomes on the South Side since it reopened in May 2018. A study published in JAMA Surgery found that the center's return reduced firearm mortality in its South Side service area by 3.9%, saving an estimated 39 lives per 1,000 shooting injuries by cutting transit time by nearly 10 minutes, per UChicago Medicine. Before 2018, the South Side had gone nearly 30 years without an adult Level 1 trauma center.
If detectives identify and arrest a suspect, the case could carry legal consequences.
Citywide Numbers Tell a Mixed Story
Chicago Police Department data through August recorded 1,264 shooting victims citywide this year, a 1% decline compared to the same eight-month stretch in 2025, alongside 289 homicides. The available account does not specify an August 2026 homicide total or compare it with August totals from prior years, as Hoodline previously reported on a Chatham teen shooting. The available account does not provide the NORC research or the 2025 homicide comparisons described elsewhere.
Even so, those citywide gains haven't translated into calm on this stretch of 79th Street. Community safety concerns have been raised before in the area.
Wednesday's shooting adds another entry to that troubled stretch's recent history, with no suspect in custody and detectives still working the case.
