One man was killed and another was critically injured Thursday morning during a shooting in Edgewater Thursday, according to officials.
The shooting happened about 7:20 a.m. in the 1400 block of West Thome Avenue, near Hayt Elementary School and Northside Catholic Academy, Chicago police and fire officials said.
The attack erupted before students were dropped off for the school day and no children were involved, residents and an alderperson said.
A man whose age wasn’t immediately known was taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston where he died, police said. A second man, 53, was taken to the same hospital where he was in critical condition.
Two weapons were recovered from the scene, police said.
John O’malley said he was drinking coffee in his living room when he heard “pops” and saw a woman and girl run across a nearby parking lot.
“There was a five second, 10 second delay … then it was ‘pop, pop, pop,'” O’malley said. “Another delay, then ‘pop, pop.'”
O’malley called 911. He then looked outside, down the street and saw two people on the ground with a weapon between them.
Multiple neighbors said one of the victims was walking their dog when they were shot. O’malley noted the dog was “very protective,” laying on top of the person before “snapping” at police officers who arrived at the scene. Officers tied the dog to a tree while paramedics worked on the victim it was guarding.
“The dog was doing his job,” O’malley said.
In a letter to residents in the area, 48th Ward Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth said the two people shot were adults, and the area was secure and closed off to the public.
“We have to get these guns off our streets. Violence of any kind is unacceptable,” Manaa-Hoppenworth told the Chicago Sun-Times. “My first priority is making sure our public way is safe for everyone. Our students all made it safely to school this morning. No children were involved in the incident.”
Some area residents were shaken up and stunned by the shooting, while others were more mildly surprised.
“This is the first time someone’s been shot in such close proximity to where I live,” said Nancy Onderdonk, a 30-year resident of the neighborhood. “When [gun violence] comes this close, that’s when people, hopefully, get more involved.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.