Police seek suspect in fatal shooting Wednesday night in normally quiet Lincoln Park neighborhood

CHICAGO — Police are still seeking a suspect in a fatal shooting late Wednesday night in Lincoln Park that shocked residents in the normally quiet North Side community.

According to Chicago police, the shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. in the 800 block of West Lill Avenue. Officers responding to a call of a person shot found a 28-year-old man on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the chest.

He was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital, police say, where he was treated and subsequently pronounced dead. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the identity of the victim, pending notification of family.

WGN-TV obtained a resident’s Ring camera video that shows the moments leading up to the fatal shooting (see video player attached to this story).

The video shows a man walk past two people — a man and woman, according to what a police source told WGN. One of them turns around, then a single shot is fired. You can then see one person run back into the view of the camera and take off east on W. Lill Ave.

What’s seen and heard on that Ring camera video left some community members shaken.

“I walk on this street all the time,” Lincoln Park resident Tessa Shields told WGN. “I bring my pets, I bring my family, I bring friends (from) out of town, I bring family (from) out of town. Lincoln Park is literally my home.

“It has all of my family history here. It has never failed us. It has been the safest, best, most amazing community. I never see this here.”

Others who live on the block, some for 30-plus years, also said the street where the shooting happened — just off North Halsted Street and south of West Fullerton Avenue — is typically quiet.

Lincoln Park resident Josh Balon said he didn’t hear a gunshot but did hear all the sirens and saw officers collecting evidence.

“It was kind of chaotic for a little bit,” Balon said.

Nobody is yet in custody, but a police source tells WGN a man and woman were seen leaving the area after the shooting, and what appeared to be Amazon packages were all over the sidewalk near where the shooting happened.

Police were gathering evidence late into Wednesday night, but so far they have not yet released any description of a suspect or suspects.

Ald. Timmy Knudsen, whose 43rd Ward includes Lincoln Park, released a statement Thursday morning on the fatal shooting, saying “there is no confirmed information on the victim nor any known connection between the victim and the offenders.”

“This is yet another reminder of the work we have to do as a city to combat violence,” Knudsen’s statement continued. “I’ve asked the (Chicago Police Department) 19th District to increase patrols in the area, and as we head into the summer, I will continue to push City Hall for the resources our ward needs.

“… Thank you to the Chicago Police Department for the hard work they do each and every day. Our office stands with them to ensure they have the resources they need to bring the offender of this heinous crime into custody.”

Knudsen also urged anyone that may have information regarding the shooting to call Area Three detectives at 312-744-8261, or email CAPS.019District@chicagopolice.org. 

“Lincoln Park is literally the best community, and this doesn’t happen,” Shields said. “And this is why it’s weird to see this. I’ve never seen (police) tape strung across (a scene) before.

“So, I don’t know, I feel a little odd.”