A man was shot during an attempted robbery on Chicago's South Side Friday night after he refused to hand over his belongings to an attacker who struck him in the head and then opened fire. Three people were taken in for questioning afterward, and officers recovered a handgun near the scene.
According to WGN-TV, the incident happened around 7:15 p.m. Friday in the 6400 block of South Green Street in Englewood. Police told the station the victim, a 54-year-old man, was approached by at least one unknown individual who struck him in the head and demanded his property. When he refused to give it up, the offender pulled out a gun and fired shots in his direction, WGN-TV reported. He suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen and was hospitalized in good condition, per the same report.
A separate report from ABC7 Chicago described a different set of details for what it also characterized as an attempted robbery shooting in the area: police told that outlet the shooting happened just before 1:30 a.m. in the 5600 block of South Justine Street in West Englewood, involving a 72-year-old man who was walking when three people approached and demanded his property. ABC7 reported the victim in that account was shot in the leg and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition, with no one in custody and Area One detectives investigating. The two reports differ on the time, location, victim's age, injury and custody status, and it is not established whether they describe the same incident or two separate attempted robberies.
Three Questioned, Weapon Recovered
In the account reported by WGN-TV, officers said three persons of interest were taken in for questioning following the shooting, and a handgun was also recovered near the scene. That version of events left the man recovering in a hospital after the attempted robbery escalated into gunfire when he declined to comply with the demand for his belongings.
Robberies and shootings tied to attempted robberies have cropped up repeatedly in and around Englewood in recent weeks. Earlier this month, a masked gunman allegedly carried out three robberies targeting lawn-care workers in the neighborhood over a 20-minute span, though no one was hurt in that spree, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In January, a 28-year-old man was reportedly stabbed during an attempted robbery in the 7400 block of South May Street after someone demanded his property, as reported by FOX 32 Chicago.
Pattern of Violence Tied to Robbery Attempts
Similar attempted-robbery shootings have also surfaced elsewhere in Chicago this year. NBC Chicago reported that a 64-year-old man was shot during an attempted robbery in Streeterville, and CBS Chicago reported that two people were later charged in connection with an attempted armed robbery and shooting on the Near North Side. CBS Chicago separately reported that two people were charged with attempted murder in a shooting on a CTA bus in Englewood, and ABC7 Chicago has also reported that a man was shot and critically injured while driving a car in Englewood.
City data resources, including the Chicago Police Department's CLEARMap tool and the city's Violence and Victimization Trends dashboard, offer geographic and crime-type filters covering Englewood and other police districts, though no verified crime counts or trend comparisons specific to this incident were available. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact CPD Area One detectives at 312-747-8380 or call 911. Tips can also be left anonymously at CPDTIP.com.
