A man was shot dead outside a gas station early Sunday in the South Austin neighborhood on the West Side, according to Chicago Police.
Officers responding to a call of a person shot in the 4800 block of West Madison at 1:59 a.m. found the man, thought to be in his 20s, with multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen and chest, police said.
He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office could not immediately confirm the fatality early Sunday.
The parking lot of the Mobil gas station at 4804 W. Madison St. was cordoned off with red and yellow tape.
One witness, who would not give his name, said he was standing across the street on the south side of West Madison when he heard people arguing in the parking lot. He said a group of males started chasing the man before he heard about four to five shots. “[He] was like ‘no, no, no’ and then some dude shot him…He was begging.”
Another witness, 20-year-old James, was walking out of the gas station when he heard “a commotion” and saw a group of about 10-12 people spread around the parking lot.
He said he then heard people screaming followed by gunshots. “I ducked in front of the cars and threw the trash can over and ducked in front of the trash can so I wouldn’t get hit.”
The victim, he said, who was shot by one of the males in the group, was lying in the broken glass by the SUV. “He was still moving, but not talking…That’s when the police came and I ran back in the gas station.”
This isn’t the first time James has witnessed a shooting. “I feel OK,” he said, tears in the corner of his eyes from either emotion or the cold air. “It’s just Chicago.”
