Patrick Levy was enjoining a summer evening outside of his Evanston home Monday night when the peace was shattered by the sound of gunshots.
“I heard five shots or so,” he said. “I was right there so my first thought was to just get inside to safety.
Evanston police responded to the shooting in the 1700 block of Dempster Street at about 8:30 p.m. Aug. 5 where they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds, the department said on social media. It said the victims were listed in stable condition on Tuesday. No arrests were announced by police who said the investigation is ongoing.
“Once on scene, officers located two male victims with GSWs [gunshot wounds]” the posting said. “Both victims were transported to area hospitals by the Evanston fire department.”
“The offender has not been identified,” it continued. “There is a large police presence and the scene is secure.”
Levy said a two block section of the tree lined street was closed by police and didn’t reopen until early Tuesday.
“It was actually quite startling,” he said of the shooting.
“Whenever there’s a shooting, motive is obviously part of what we’re trying to learn,” Evanston Police Commander Ryan Glew said Tuesday. “I don’t think we have that yet.”
He said one of the victims is 41, the other is 50 and both are from Evanston.
Police asked anyone with information on the shooting to call the Evanston police department at 847-866-5000.
As of Tuesday Evanston police also said felony charges have been filed against a Chicago man after he allegedly fired shots fired in the 1600 block of Foster Street in the north suburb.
Cedric Pitts, 28 of the 2500 block of West Fitch Street, Chicago, is charged with felony aggravated discharge of a firearm in connection with the July 29 incident, police said in a news release. They said that on July 29, at approximately 11 p.m., officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 1600 block of Foster Street.
“The investigation revealed that a male subject had fired a handgun three or four times,” said the release. “Officers checked the area but did not locate the offender. Fortunately, there were no gunshot victims, and no one was injured.”
The investigation led to the recovery of four .45-caliber shell casings and produced video footage of the offender firing the gun, said the news release. Once the offender finished firing, it appeared he fled the area on foot. Images of the offender were made available department-wide and he was identified as Pitts.
“There’s nothing to indicate these two incidents are related,” said Glew.
On August 1, Pitts, on parole for a 2022 weapons charge, was located and arrested in the 1900 block of Darrow Avenue in Evanston, said the news release.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.