54-Year-Old Man Found Shot on 49th Street in Chicago
CHICAGO — In a disturbing incident, a 54-year-old man was discovered lying in the middle of 49th Street overnight, with three gunshot wounds to his chest. Shockingly, no one in the vicinity reported the sound of gunfire to 911, leaving the victim helpless until he was found.
The location where the man was found used to be covered by the city’s ShotSpotter gunfire detection system until Mayor Brandon Johnson terminated the contract in September. The absence of this system hindered the prompt response of police and emergency medical services to the shooting incident.
Upon receiving a call about a person down, Chicago Police Department officers rushed to the scene on the 1300 block of West 49th Street at approximately 3:55 a.m. They discovered the victim next to his car, which bore multiple bullet holes.
According to the victim’s account to the police, the shots were fired at him from a passing vehicle that quickly fled the scene. He is currently in serious condition at Stroger Hospital.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, representing the area where the victim was found, had previously raised concerns about the effectiveness of ShotSpotter. She questioned the system’s reliability during a contract renewal discussion in April, citing instances of false alarms caused by sounds like expressway backfires.
Despite the importance of ShotSpotter, a crucial vote regarding the system took place later in the year without Taylor’s participation. The measure to grant CPD Supt. Larry Snelling the authority to renew the contract with ShotSpotter narrowly passed without her vote, falling short of the required number to override a potential veto by the Mayor.
Following the discontinuation of ShotSpotter in September, CWBChicago initiated the “Brandon’s Bodies” series to highlight shooting victims who could have been assisted by the gunfire detection technology.
Expressing her dismay over the lack of alternative technologies post-ShotSpotter, Taylor emphasized the urgent need for a reliable system in place to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
As of now, the Johnson administration has yet to introduce a replacement for ShotSpotter, with the Mayor’s reluctance to reinstate the system while exploring other options.
