Chicago shooting: Concealed carry holder shoots 2 men during possible car theft attempt
CHICAGO (WLS) — A concealed carry holder shot two offenders during a possible attempted car theft early Saturday morning, Chicago police said.
Police are still investigating the attack as it joins the growing number of incidents where armed residents are shooting their alleged attackers to avoid becoming victims of a crime.
The moment Kyle Jorgensen heard it, he said he knew it was gunfire.
“Fell asleep with the window open and I woke up to gunshots, and my dog’s looking out the window, freaking out. Probably heard eight or nine shot,” he said.
The gunshots rang out early in morning in the heart of city’s Loop .
A 31-year-old man was walking toward his parked vehicle in the Loop’s 0-100 block of West Randolph Street at about 3:37 a.m., police said. A red SUV passed him, and someone fired shots in his direction.
The victim, who holds a FOID card and concealed carry license, took out his gun and fired several rounds, police said. The SUV then fled the scene. The victim, who was not injured, saw someone get out of his parked vehicle and run away.
Investigators said minutes after the shooting, the same red SUV involved in the shootout pulled up to the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital with a man in his 20s seeking treatment for a gunshot wound to his left knee.
About the same time, another man in his 20s walked into Lurie Children’s Hospital with a gunshot wound to the lower back.
Both were subsequently taken into custody.
Police said they are seeking a third offender, whose age is unknown.
“You see all the smash and grabs that happened in broad daylight, so you can be a victim any time of the day,” said Denise Arnold.
“When we first moved, there was nothing like for almost a month, then it got on and off. It got really bad,” said Laurel Protexter, who has lived in neighborhood almost three years. “You never know what’s going to happen. It’s very unfortunate.”
Area Three detectives are investigating the incident. Police did not immediately provide further information.
This latest incident is at least the second time in about a week that a legally armed resident in Chicago has shot an alleged attacker to avoid becoming a victim of a crime.