CHICAGO (CBS) — A man was almost killed in a shooting right downtown overnight, and we have learned it was not the only gunfire nearby.
Police said a man of an unspecified age was near the Riverwalk at Wabash Avenue and Wacker Drive around 2 a.m. when he was shot in the back. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition.
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A witness who was in his hotel room feet from the shooting said he saw the victim lying next to a light pole. Multiple shell casings were found at the scene, and hours later, a nearby restaurant window was boarded up.
The witness told CBS 2’s Steven Graves he heard about 10 gunshots. He described the incident as a shootout between two people or a group of people.
Police have yet to say if it was targeted.
“It was one of those things where you don’t think it’s going to happen around you until it actually happens,” the witness said. “Last night was the first night I’ve ever been in Chicago, and it was like right below our hotel room. You could see it out the window, but we hit the deck and laid low.”
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Our cameras spotted that nearby restaurant window being boarded up Sunday afternoon. The business is owned by Hotel Monaco, 225 N. Wabash Ave., and was closed at the time.
Police said another business in the Loop also had a window shot out four hours before the shooting that left the man wounded. Around 10:18 p.m., a round struck the window of a business in the 700 block of South Dearborn Street, but no one was injured.
It was unclear late Sunday if the two incidents were connected. Chicago Police said no one was in custody in either.
So far this year, there have been 10 shootings in the Central District, which includes the Loop, the West Loop Gate, the South Loop, and parts of the Near South Side. That is up from four shootings through this time last year.
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When Graves asked police if patrols have been stepped up, a spokesperson said the department has “sufficient” police resources downtown and around the city.
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