A 29-year-old man from Zion died Monday evening after he was shot multiple times in Waukegan, an attack that set off an hour-long police chase through four Lake County suburbs before four juveniles were taken into custody. The victim arrived at a nearby hospital with several gunshot wounds and later died there, according to authorities.
The shooting was reported around 7 p.m. in the 700 block of Lincoln Street in Waukegan, according to WGN-TV, though Lake and McHenry County Scanner reported that Waukegan police responded around 6:57 p.m. to the 700 block of Lincoln Avenue — a discrepancy that has not been resolved between the two accounts. The victim, identified only as a 29-year-old from Zion, arrived at Vista Medical Center East with several gunshot wounds and died at the hospital, the station reported. Officers who processed the scene found multiple shell casings from different calibers of weapons, suggesting more than one gun was fired.
911 Call Leads Officers to a Fleeing Nissan
A 911 caller reported that a white Nissan had fled the area after being involved in the shooting, per the outlet's reporting. When officers spotted the vehicle, later identified by the Scanner as a Nissan Murano, they attempted a traffic stop, but the driver refused to pull over and instead led police on a chase that stretched across the region.
The pursuit began just before 7:30 p.m. near southbound Jackson Street and Grand Avenue in Waukegan, according to the same outlet, and wound through North Chicago, Waukegan, Park City and Gurnee before officers brought it to an end. Several suspects jumped out of the Nissan at different points along the route, the station's report noted, before the chase finally stopped around 8:25 p.m. near 12th Street and Elizabeth Avenue in Waukegan — close to an hour after it started.
Four Juveniles in Custody as Investigation Continues
Police took four juvenile suspects into custody following the chase. Investigators recovered evidence tied to the case at two separate locations, including two firearms, according to the outlet's reporting. The recovered weapons included two firearms.
Waukegan police described the shooting as an isolated incident and said there was no ongoing risk to the public. The investigation remained active as of Tuesday evening, and no additional information about charges or the identities of those involved has been made public.
A separate May 2024 incident also involved a vehicle fleeing a Waukegan shooting scene. In that case, ABC7 Chicago reported that a person was shot in the arm around 5:15 p.m. Wednesday near 8th Street and Victory Street and was treated and released, while a reported stolen car linked to the area was pursued by Waukegan and North Chicago police before crashing onto a golf course in Lake Bluff. Two juveniles who fled that car were arrested and charged with misdemeanors, though police said it was not immediately known whether the stolen vehicle was connected to that shooting.
